Mission 1975
by KatyaWood
Summary: Hermione is assigned a mission from the Order, if only if she can find how to go twenty years back in time
1. Chapter 1

"Welcome all to another year at Hogwarts" the headmaster said, smiling as he looked around the great hall

Disclaimer: I own no characters or settings used in this story. I intend to make no money from this, so please don't sue me! Any feedback at all would be greatly appreciated ….

Chapter 1

"Welcome all to another year at Hogwarts" the headmaster said, smiling as he looked around the great hall. "Mr. Filch has asked me to say that the list of banned places on the grounds is on the door to his office. I suggest you read this well. There was once a boy of Hogwarts who did not heed this warning and vanished, never to be seen again. It is believed he found the portrait of Venelius, the Wizard who created time-travel. Upon touching this he was taken out of time for ever. It is wise to exercise caution around the less-travelled corners of the castle."

"He's lying" Ron stated flatly. "Like that would ever happen."

"He's not lying" Harry said lightly. "I think he's trying to tell us something. He's been watching us the whole time he was speaking. Last time he did that he was talking to us."

Hermione leaned forward across the table, so she could join in the conversation. "What do you think he wants us to do? Other than find the portrait, obviously."

Harry had been watching the headmaster throughout the conversation, but now looked over at the girl who sat across from him. "He's not talking to us, Hermione, he's talking to you" he told her. "His eyes did not leave you once. There's something he wants you to discover."

"I'll go to the library after the feast" Hermione decided. "It has to be important. I'll let you know what I find out."

The rest of the meal passed in comparative silence for the three who had been reunited after a long summer apart. Ron never spoke much in the Welcome feast, afraid he would miss out on some food. Harry had been less talkative this summer, after witnessing the return of Voldermort in such a horrifying turn of events during the tri-wizard tournament. Hermione was thinking hard as she ate. She had never heard of Venelius, or the story of the vanishing school-boy. She couldn't wait to get to the library to begin her research.

As soon as dessert had finished, Hermione slipped out of the hall, giving the boys a wave as she left. She had thought of the perfect place to start. Nestled in a forgotten corner of the library, Hermione sat practically hidden by a mound of dusty text-books. She was reading furiously, determined to find way to solve the puzzle Harry was sure was hers alone to solve.

It was hours later that an exhausted Hermione entered the common room. Most Gryffindors had already gone up to bed, only a few left. Fred and George Weasley sat in front of the fire, with a few other seventh-years. Harry and Ron were sat on the floor nearby, playing Wizard's chess.

They looked up as Hermione approached and sat down beside them. "Did you find anything?" Harry asked quietly.

Hermione nodded, her eyes bright. "I think I know where it is" she told them.

"Where?" Ron asked, smiling as Hermione yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"I think it's somewhere off the third-floor corridor close to where Fluffy was guarding the trap-door" she said. "According to one source, the portrait of Venelius has a charm on it, so that any who look upon it are drawn to it, and cannot restrain themselves from touching it. I think I have found a charm so that I will be protected from anything happening to me should I touch it."

"Are you going to find it?" Harry asked her.

"Tonight" Hermione said instantly.

Ron sat up. "We'll come with you" he said.

Hermione shook her head. "I'll be fine on my own" she told him. "Besides, if something goes wrong, and I don't come back, I'll need you to tell Dumbledore what I've done."

Harry sighed. "Hermione, I don't know if this is such a good idea" he said.

"You are the one who believed I had to find it" Hermione replied quickly. "Dumbledore must have a plan. I'm going to go. It's late enough now, so I won't be caught. If I'm not back in an hour, go to find Dumbledore, and tell him to look for me at the portrait; I _know_ he knows where it is."

Before they could stop her, she was gone out of the portrait hole again. Walking swiftly through the corridors of the castle, the girl was grateful for all the times she had been sneaking around the halls with Harry and Ron. She only had one near miss with a Professor, but Snape did not see her as he strode past, robes billowing out behind him. It did not take her long at all to reach the long-deserted third floor. Judging it safe to light her wand, she walked more easily down to the forgotten passage which she followed to a corner. Knowing the portrait lay just around the corner; the girl placed the protective charm around herself, then walked slowly around the corner. There it was; right in front of her. Venelius, the time-traveller. Gazing on the portrait in front of her, Hermione could not resist the force that pulled her forward. Not knowing how to stop herself, Hermione reached out and touched the painting, disappearing with a flash.

"Harry, it has been more than an hour" Ron said finally. The two boys were now the only ones in the common-room.

Harry sighed, getting to his feet. "Let's go to Dumbledore" he said.

Together, they crept out of the portrait-hole into the school, reaching Dumbledore's office without mishap. "Do you think he's in here at night?" Ron said quietly.

"Who might that be?" a voice spoke in the shadows, half-moon glasses glinting in a slant of moon-light as a shape moved out of the shadows.

"Professor, it's about Hermione" Harry said quickly. "She went to find the portrait, and she hasn't come back."

Dumbledore smiled mysteriously. "She has found what she was looking for. She is safe and well" he said, looking down at the two boys from his great height. "If you come to my office tomorrow morning I shall give you the answers you are looking for. Goodnight" he said, taking a step backwards and disappearing from sight.

"Do you think she's alive?" a voice whispered.

Hermione attempted to open her eyes, but did not succeed. Everything hurt so much, it was less painful to lie still and so she did.

"I think her eyes just flickered" a voice answered. Hermione's brain tried to work. She recognised these voices, somehow.

"What shall we do?"

"Take her to the hospital, what else?" the second voice replied instantly.

Feeling suddenly weightless, Hermione realised they were levitating her. All thought now seemed too difficult, and darkness was welcomed once more.


	2. Chapter 2

It was morning, and faint light woke the girl from slumber

It was morning, and faint light woke the girl from slumber. She started as she saw someone sitting by her side. "Professor?" she managed.

Dumbledore smiled. "Well done, miss Granger" he said. "I did not expect you to find this so quickly. How do you feel?"

Hermione frowned. "I'm confused. What happened to me?"

"When you touched the portrait, a spell took you back in time a little way; that's perhaps the easiest way to explain it" Dumbledore said. "It was a time of my choosing, but I needed you to decide to take the risk."

"How far back in time?" Hermione asked, having noticed the professor did not look quite as old as she remembered.

"About twenty years, I should think" Dumbledore answered simply. "I am giving you a mission from the Order, Miss Granger, should you wish to accept it."

"Of course" Hermione said instantly. "What do I need to do?"

"There is something about a great person that did not happen as it should have, when they were at Hogwarts. I believe it will help to alter the course of the war if we can change this. You, Miss Granger, will be the reason for one of our best to not give up hope. That is a great thing to be, I think."

"Who is it?" Hermione asked instantly.

"I do not wish to say" Dumbledore said. "It will be no help to you to know. It will be wise however, if you do not tell anyone your true history. I suggest we say you have been home-schooled, but wished to attend Hogwarts for the examination year. We will also need to change your name. There are those in school now who will one day meet a Hermione Granger. There cannot be two people so called in Hogwarts. Perhaps your mother's maiden name?"

"Then I shall be Kitty Martin" Hermione said. "May I be in Gryffindor, sir?"

Dumbledore smiled. "You already are" he told her. "You will be looked after by the fifth year prefect of your house. She has been asked to tell the others in your year that they have a new girl starting. Ah, here she comes now" Dumbledore smiled as a slim red-haired girl approached them. "Lily, this is Kitty Martin, she is your new house member. All her things should be in your dormitory. I think Miss Martin would like breakfast before lessons." With a twinkling smile, the old man swept out.

A pair of shining emerald eyes turned on Hermione. "Hi Kitty!" the girl said excitedly. "I'm Lily. I'm in Gryffindor too. Are you alright to be getting up for breakfast?"

"I'm fine" Hermione told her softly, her brain on fire. This girl had Harry's eyes …

"Remus and Sirius said they found a girl collapsed up on the third floor" Lily said. "Was that you?"

Hermione thought quickly. "Yes" she said smiling. "I port-keyed here, and fainted when I arrived. It was such a horrible feeling, and I felt so sick." She got out of bed and dressed quickly while Lily waited for her outside. She knew she had recognised the voices last night. It was in a thoughtful mood that Hermione followed Lily down to the Great Hall. The sights were so familiar, but the people were not. Occasionally Hermione caught sight of someone she thought she knew, but it turned out not to be. It was a strange feeling to be at your school without knowing anyone else there.

"Morning, Evans" a voice said lazily. "Who's your friend?"

The red-haired girl stopped by the four boys who were sitting alone at one end of the long table. "Kitty, this is Sirius, Remus, Peter and James. They're in our year too. Boys, this is Kitty, who is joining our year. Do you want to sit here?" she asked Hermione, who shrugged, smiling.

"If you want to" she said softly.

Lily sat around the other side of the long table, beside Peter. Hermione sat opposite her, next to the boy who would one day be her professor. It was a weird thought. The boy was wearing reading-glasses, and was flicking through a text as he ate.

"What are you reading?" Hermione asked quietly, as she buttered some toast.

With a smile, Remus showed the title of the book; "Hogwarts: A History."

Hermione grinned. "I've read that so many times" she confessed.

"Me too" Remus said, smiling back. "Lily said you were taught at home. Is that right?"

Hermione nodded. "I always wanted to be here, though" she told him. "I've read that book so often I feel as if I know my way around already."

"You'll find the real thing to be a little different" Remus told her. "If you need anything, we're all here to help a fellow Gryffindor."

Hermione smiled up at him. "Thanks, that's really kind" she said softly. She ate quietly, content to watch the others around her. She had seen Harry's parents and their schoolfriends in some photographs, but they did not prepare her for seeing them in the flesh. James Potter looked just like his son, but his dark hazel eyes turned him into someone completely other, so looking at him closely, he was very different to her own friend. James was in deep discussion with the boy sitting across from him. That boy tossed his shining black hair back to reveal a face that Hermione knew. Sirius Black was a very handsome boy, with bright grey eyes and a quick smile. He was happy and care-free, very unlike the Sirius Black he would be in twenty years. Hermione's eyes flickered over to Peter and she felt her teeth clench involuntarily. He was a fat, slightly odd-looking boy. He was trying to keep up with the others' conversation, but did not contribute to it as he was busy shovelling eggs and bacon into his mouth. Looking quickly away from the fat boy, Hermione studied Remus. He had also changed much in twenty years, but Hermione instantly recognised his glowing amber eyes, hidden away behind his reading glasses. His sandy hair was long and untouched from the grey it would soon be streaked with. Looking more closely, Hermione saw a few bruises on the boy's face, along with a cut on his arm which was mostly covered by his sleeve. Remembering full moon had not been long ago, the girl felt a rush of pity for the thin, almost frail-looking boy beside her.

She was brought back to earth with a start as Lily gently touched her wrist. "Are you ok?" the red-haired girl asked softly. "You have gone a little pale."

Hermione turned to the girl with a small smile. "Sorry, I'm still a little faint from before. I'll be fine when I've had some tea" she added, her smile widening as Sirius placed a steaming cup in front of her.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked as he returned her smile. "You had us worried yesterday."

"You found me, didn't you?" Hermione asked. "I think I remember your voice from before. Sorry to give you a fright."

Sirius laughed. "I don't scare quite as easily as all that" he reassured her, his voice almost teasing.

"I'll try harder next time" the girl replied instantly, picking up her tea and blowing gently to cool it down enough to drink. She heard a snicker, and looked to see Remus chuckling into his book.


	3. Chapter 3

The first few days passed in a blur as Hermione struggled to fit in with her new surroundings. Unlike her first days in Hogwarts in her own time, the bushy-haired girl was not alone, but surrounded by people who would help her however they could. It was such a wonderful feeling, to be instantly accepted without question and she found herself opening up to them all far more quickly than she would have thought possible.

Lily turned out to be a kind and thoughtful friend. Hermione's only close female friend in her own time was Ron's sister Ginny, so she was surprised that she and Lily became firm friends so quickly. Only once did Lily ask Hermione any questions about her life before joining the school. Hermione had no wish to lie to her new friend, so struggled to say much about her upbringing and previous schooling. Luckily, Lily mis-read Hermione's reticence and believed that the dark-haired girl was too upset to talk much about things. Instead of pressing her on the subject, the prefect simply gave the smaller girl a hug and told her not to worry.

It seemed as if Lily had warned the boys not to dwell on the new girl's background, as the four never asked her to say anything in detail. Not wanting to lie too much, Hermione told them she had been home-schooled, but had asked to attend Hogwarts for the examination years. The others accepted this without question. Of all the boys, Hermione spent most of her time with Remus. He was almost exactly as she remembered from her own time. He was quiet, unassuming, and highly intelligent. He spent hours tutoring Peter, and helped Hermione with the classes she was struggling in, which were taught in a different style to how she was used to. Remus seemed quite content to be in the shadow of James and Sirius. Unlike Peter, he did not feel the need to act out to win the other's approval, but would walk serenely behind the others as they misbehaved, a small smile on his scarred face.

The unanticipated life-saver, however, was Sirius. Hermione had fully expected either to be totally ignored by the dashing, popular Quidditch-player, or be a victim of his practical jokes. The black-haired boy was, however, surprisingly protective of her. It was he who, on her second day in the school, rescued her from a group of sneering Slytherins. Hermione was hurrying back to the common-room from the library, not paying attention to her surroundings, when four Slytherin boys encircled her. Their leader, a slim boy with long black hair, looked down his aristocratic nose at her. "So you are the new Gryffindor?" he began, his voice a lazy drawl. "Mudblood by the look of you. You are not welcome in these halls."

"She is twice the person you are, Regulus" a low, menacing voice cut through the gloom as a similar looking boy stepped into the faint light.

The boy named Regulus scowled. "Protecting Mudbloods now? Mother was right to burn you from our family tree, Sirius. You are unworthy to carry the name of the most noble house of Black."

Sirius laughed out loud. "I am glad to have seen sense, unlike the rest of our ridiculous family. Why don't you and your little snake friends slither back down into your dungeon, before we send you back crying?" As he said this, he shouldered one of Regulus' henchmen out of the way and pulled Hermione to her feet. As if on cue, the two Gryffindors drew their wands in unison, turning to the others in an identical fighting stance. The Slytherin boys were the first to fire a curse, which Hermione blocked easily. She threw a body-binding curse at one of the boys as Sirius threw a jelly-leg jinx at another. The third boy was hit with a bat-bogey hex, thanks to Ginny's tutoring of Hermione, which left Regulus facing down his elder brother. With a sob of fright, the younger boy turned and fled.

Hermione turned to Sirius, a smile on her face. "Thank you, Sirius" she said softly.

The Black-haired boy turned bright eyes flecked with silver on her, as he burst into a grin. "Don't mention it" he said carelessly. "There's just something so satisfying about beating Slytherins. He tucked Hermione's hand into the crook of his arm. "The knight in shining armour routine is my speciality" he told her as they walked. "I have to do it for James all of the time."

Hermione giggled. "He reminds me of some friends of mine. They were forever getting into trouble for some reason or another and they always looked at me to get them out of it."

"I wondered where you learned your duelling skills" Sirius said. "You need to teach me that last hex you used. It was disgusting; absolutely brilliant."

"Learning outside of the classroom, Sirius?" a light, teasing voice cut through the silence of the halls as Remus fell into step with them. "The professors would die of shock."

"Don't worry, Re, I can safely promise it won't earn me extra credit in lessons" Sirius reassured his friend as they climbed through the portrait hole into the common room.

At the end of her first week, Hermione found herself walking to a Quidditch-practice with Remus and Lily. She had packed a textbook into her bag, along with a second sweater, remembering how cold she got watching Harry. "Where's Peter?" she asked Remus, as they settled down in a patch of afternoon sunlight in the Gryffindor stands.

"Slughorn gave him a detention for setting fire to the potions lab" Remus replied, doing his best not to smile.

Hermione laughed. She was relieved that she would not have to sit through practice with the rat by her side. She could not like the young Peter, knowing what she did about his future. She also didn't want to upset Harry, by making friends with the boy who would one day betray his parents.

"Here they come, at last" Lily said, leaning forward in her chair slightly as she watched the Gryffindor Quidditch team walk out onto the pitch. As a loud Scottish voice cut through the stillness of the afternoon, Hermione was transported back to watching Harry in the third year, the year they had won the Quidditch cup.

"Is that the captain?" she asked Lily, who nodded.

"That's Duncan Wood. He's a seventh year. You might know his girlfriend, Amelia Bains? She's in sixth year."

Hermione frowned. "I'm not sure. I've met so many people this week; it's hard to remember all the names."

Lily gave her a sympathetic smile, pushing her long red hair back from her face as she looked out over the pitch. "Do you think they could win this year?" she asked Remus, who closed his book and looked over at the girls.

"It's possible, under Wood's regime" he said. "I expect it will be six-hour practices all weekend again, in all weathers."

Hermione grinned, remembering how much Oliver Wood's team, especially Fred and George, complained about the single-mindedness of their captain. "Are there any stars on our team?" she asked.

"Honestly, although you should never tell him so, it's Sirius" Remus told her. "All the team are good. It is the second year they've played together, no-one left last year. But Sirius seems to have the innate knack of being exactly in the right place at the right time."

"He does have a real flair for Quidditch, it's true" Lily agreed. "But I agree with Remus, you should never tell Sirius he's good, we'll never hear the end of it."

"He's not really the right build for a beater, surely" Hermione pointed out, spotting a bat in one of Sirius' hands as the team took to the air.

"True" Remus agreed. "But he has the strength, and being light gives him a speed and manoeuvrability over whoever marks him." He pointed at Sirius, who had, together with the seeker, flown much higher than the rest of the team. "Watch: this is a good move." As he said this, Wood blew a whistle and the two began to dive. In perfect synchronisation, seeker and beater together twisted and turned as they descended. As they sped past the stands, Hermione glimpsed a flash of gold just in front of the two fliers. "They follow the snitch, wherever it twists and turns, so do they." Remus told her. " It provides the seeker with complete protection. No other beater could keep up. He has to act almost instinctively to keep perfect time with the seeker, who then need only watch the snitch. Sirius can protect him from bludgers."

The rest of the lesson was lost as Remus shot out of his chair with a gasp of horror. Sirius had not been quick enough to spot a bludger coming straight for the seekers arm. Unable to move his bat round in time, Sirius had twisted his body round to take the impact instead was knocked clean off his broom, and tumbled to the floor many feet below.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for sticking with me, and big thanks to all you wonderful people who have reviewed this story! 

Hours later, the entire Quidditch team, along with Hermione, Lily and Remus, were waiting outside the door to the hospital wing. Having levitated Sirius to an empty bed, they were shooed outside by a much younger Madam Pomfrey than Hermione knew from her time. Knowing from the many injuries she, Harry and Ron had suffered; she knew they would be allowed in as soon as Sirius had been successfully treated. Taking a seat on a bench between Remus and the other beater, Willoughby, Hermione settled down to wait.

After a moment, Remus nudged her. Hermione looked at him, and then swiftly transferred her gaze to where the boy was pointing. Mostly concealed down a gloomy corridor, James was being hugged by Lily. Hermione turned back to Remus with a grin. "What's going on there?" she asked softly.

Remus leant closer to her. "James has claimed to be in love with Lily for years. It's only in fifth year that she began to tolerate him, but I have a feeling that it will work out in the end."

Looking back again quickly at the pair, Hermione couldn't help but smile. "I think she feels more for him than she even knows herself" she whispered back. "They look good together anyway."

All conversation ceased then as the big wooden doors opened and Madam Pomfrey looked out. "You may come in, briefly" she told them all. "You must, however, not do anything to distress my patient, or you will all be banned from visiting" she added sternly, having spotted James in their midst.

James was the first to Sirius' bedside, but it was the captain who spoke first.

"Black, must you put yourself in hospital the week before every single one of our games?"

Sirius grinned weakly, his unusually pale face lighting up. "Wood, I only do it because I love to hear that tone in your voice" he replied, his voice straining slightly with the effort of speaking so soon after his fall.

"How often do I have to tell you, you hit bludgers with your bat, not your back" James told his friend, not managing to withhold his smile completely as he saw his friend was not too damaged by his injury.

The black haired boy grinned, and then winced suddenly. Clearly his injury was paining him more than he let on. Spotting this, Remus was instantly at his side.

"Sirius?" he said, leaning over his friend. "Do you need anything?"

Sirius looked up at the boy. "Strange for it to be this way round, Moony" he said, so softly that Hermione almost didn't hear him. It was the first time she had heard any of the boys use one of their nick-names in front of her. She was grateful that Lily asked her a question, just as Remus' eyes flicked up to her over the bed. Turning away to answer the red-haired girl, Hermione did not see the warning look that Remus flashed his friend.

At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled up to the bed, ordering them all to leave, for dinner. Hearing that they might be missing a meal, James waved to the company, before taking off at a run, Remus and Lily following more sedately in his wake. The rest of the Quidditch team trooped out after them, with Hermione a little way behind. As she was about to leave, Hermione turned to look at Sirius. Now that everyone was gone, he had collapsed back against the pillows, crying out softly as he twisted his bruised back. Without thinking, the girl moved swiftly to his side, helping him to lie more comfortably. As if realising what she had just done, the girl flushed deeply red, and she turned to flee. She was restrained by a firm hand on her arm.

"Kitty" Sirius said, his soft voice compelling the girl to look at him. "Thanks for helping."

Hermione found her cheeks getting hotter still. "D…don't mention it" she managed to stutter out, adding in a stronger voice as she saw him grimace again: "do you need the nurse?

Sirius shook his head slightly. "Pomfrey has assured me that she has nothing else to give me, as this is, and I quote 'my own silly fault'".

Hermione had to laugh at the indignation in his voice. "She has a point you know" she said softly as the boy glared at her. "You find me another beater who would pull a move liked that together with a seeker. You're just showing off."

The black haired boy looked sulky for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "You're right, you know" he told her, "I've just never met anyone before who would tell me that to my face."

"I can tell you again if you'd like me to" Hermione told him matter-of-factly. "I'm really quite happy to let you know at least ten times a day."

"So sweet of you" Sirius commented dryly. Spotting Madam Pomfrey making her way over with a purposeful stride, he nudged Hermione gently. "I think our time is up" he told her. As the girl turned to leave, Sirius caught her hand again. "Come visit me later, Kit?" he asked. "I haven't really had the chance to talk to you yet, and I'd like to know something about you at least."

Hermione smiled. "I'd like that" she said, giving the boy a small wave as she was forcibly pushed out of the door by the nurse.


	5. Chapter 5

It was in a thoughtful mood that Hermione wandered through the halls to join the others for dinner. She was thinking, for the first time since her meeting with Dumbledore, about the mission she had been assigned. She had no idea who this supposed 'great' person was that she was supposed to be meeting. The girl also could not believe that a single action of hers could substantially alter the course of the war. It was so frustrating not to be able to discuss the mission with anyone. Hermione knew where here failings were. She had no doubt that if the answer were to be found in a book, she would have worked it out by now. She was, however, not nearly as good at reading people. She had had no friends at school the first time until Harry and Ron helped her to defeat a troll in the girl's bathroom. How she was supposed to get close enough to this person to be the reason for them to hope, she did not know.

Finally she made it to the great hall and slid into her usual seat, beside Remus and opposite Lily. Helping herself to some pasta, she did not see the concerned look the red-haired girl flashed at her, nor did she see her drinking goblet until she knocked it over. She was saved from the embarrassment of it breaking by Remus, who moved with lightning speed to catch the cup before it fell to the floor. Hermione flashed a grateful look at him. "Thanks" she said, smiling bashfully. "That could have been much worse. You have the fastest reflexes I've ever seen!"

Remus looked at her oddly for a moment, before seeming to relax. "Perhaps I should be on the Quidditch team rather than Sirius" he responded lightly, before a more serious look settled on his scarred face. "You are alright, aren't you?" he added.

Hermione frowned. She was not used to boys who could sense emotions. Harry and Ron would struggle to get the idea if she screamed her feelings at them. "I'm … fine" she said, after a moment. "I just go off into my own little world sometimes. You will all get used to it soon enough, my old friends did." She had not thought much about what she had left behind. Suddenly, however, she felt miserable that she had abandoned Harry and Ron to come on this adventure alone.

Remus seemed to sense the girl's change in mood. "You miss them, I know, your friends and family" he said quietly. "Don't worry, we'll do all we can to keep you happy here, and you'll be back home before you know it."

Hermione smiled gratefully at the sandy haired boy who looked down at her, his soft amber eyes full of compassion. "Thank you" she said. "You've all been so kind to me already. I am happy to be here, I just miss my old life as well."

Seeing that the girl was looking much less likely to cry, Remus smiled warmly back at her, before urging her to eat. Remus found his attention straying to the girl beside him throughout dinner. She was quite a puzzle, and the boy could sense that all was not as it seemed with her, but he did not know why. Resolving to find out, he too returned to his meal.

Remembering her promise to Sirius to go back to talk to him, Hermione picked out a handful of cookies and got to her feet. "I'll see you later" she said to Remus, who looked up at her, a question in his eyes, as she walked swiftly away. Hurrying through the rapidly darkening corridors, the girl drew her wand as she thought she heard whispers and footsteps behind her. Turning, she saw no-one, but was sure she heard tiny sounds to suggest someone had stopped moving and hidden quickly as she had stopped. Deciding her easiest way to safety was to continue towards the hospital wing, she made her way there at a slightly faster pace, straining her ears as she went for any sound of pursuit.

Watching the girl's retreat from behind the safety of a suit of armour, Regulus frowned. This mudblood was spending far too much time with his brother. Aside from blood status, the Slytherin boy was not quite sure what had really deserved this girl such hatred, but she had faced him down, and together with Sirius had beaten some of the best duellers from Slytherin House. She was a threat, and needed to be dealt with swiftly.

Hermione made it to the hospital wing with no further threat to her safety, but was nevertheless happy to see that Sirius was awake and still the only one in the dorm. Smiling, she made her way over to him.

Sirius' smile of greeting grew immeasurably when she handed him some of the cookies. "Kitty, you are so much better at visiting people than James or Remus!" he exclaimed, tucking into the sweet biscuits with every sign of enjoyment as he waved at the chair beside his bed. "Please sit" he told her. "Now, I want to know all about you" he said, flicking his long black hair away from his eyes, and looking at her intently.

Hermione, blushing at the look, merely shrugged and said "I don't now what to say."

"Well, where did you grow up? Who are your parents?" Sirius asked.

"I have muggle blood in me, that much you know" Hermione began, not wanting to tell an outright lie, but knowing she couldn't tell the whole truth. "My father's a dentist, he takes care of people's teeth" she explained, seeing the boy's puzzled look. Laughing as Sirius pulled a face, she thought quickly. "I was educated at home" she continued, reasoning to herself that she thought of Hogwarts in her time as a home. "My parents wanted me to take the exams at school, and so here I am."

"Don't you miss it? I mean moving away from all you've known? It was easy at eleven, I'm not sure what it would be like at fifteen."

Hermione shrugged. "I didn't think twice about" she said, honestly. "Although I do miss my friends. But then, I'm sure I will see them again, and they will be quite well without me."

Sirius nodded in agreement, frowning as the girl looked over her shoulder. "What is it?" he asked her, his voice low.

Looking back, Hermione shrugged. "I don't know" she said. "I'm sure I heard something. It happened earlier too, on my way over here from the great hall."

Sirius' look darkened. "You think someone is following you?" he asked quickly.

"I did think it, for a minute" the girl replied. "I think I might just be being paranoid. No-one knows me here really."

"We'll soon find out" Sirius told her, picking up his wand from his bed-side table. With a flick of his wrist, a ball of light shot from his wand, and flashed through the air to the far corner of the dorm. A clatter of feet and banging of the door was all that was heard as the unknown person scurried out of the room before the light reached where they were hiding. The black haired boy cursed, making to rise out of his bed.

Hermione, seeing this, put a hand on his arm firmly enough to make him look at her. "You're hurt" she told him firmly. "You are not going to move from your bed. I'm sure whoever it was will be long gone by the time I leave." She put on her best Professor McGonagall face and looked at Sirius until he relented, leaning back against his pillows.

"At least don't walk through the castle on your own, until we find out who or what that was" Sirius asked her, his eyes darkened with worry. "I know people think this school is safe, but there are the children of some very dark wizards here, and they are not all civilised people. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about."

Hermione had never really found much out about Sirius' family. In the short time they had known him; Sirius had never really spoken of such things. "What do you mean?" she asked quietly.

Sirius looked sharply at her for a moment, seeing no mockery in the girl's face, she really didn't know what he meant. Considering the matter for a moment, he felt that he wanted to tell her, but not knowing really why as he hadn't known this girl at all before this evening. Taking a deep breath, he shook back his hair again, and fixed his grey eyes on her hazel ones. "I know, because my family are, basically, dark wizards. You met a more natural member of the family than me when you encountered Regulus. He is a true Black: one who knows the supposed value of 'Pure' blood. I was never forgiven for becoming a Gryffindor. The Blacks have always been in Slytherin. They are ambitious, cruel, aristocratic and devious. The moment my parents discovered I was a gryffindor was the moment that I began to be watched. They have always hated my friends. James wasn't too bad, as he has the right blood status, as was Peter. But then they heard about Remus and Lily. As you know, Lily is a muggle-born, and Remus … has the wrong sort of blood in him as well. Then Regulus came to the school and was a true Black. The difference between the family and myself could no longer be ignored. I just know I won't have to be back there until the end of the year, they will be more than happy to let me stay here throughout all of the holidays. With any luck I might not have to go back at all. I'm thinking about asking Dumbledore if I could stay here for at least part of the summer." He stopped, looking over at the girl sitting beside his bed. "I really don't know why I'm telling you all of this" he said, his with a crooked smile. "You must be bored stiff."

Hermione shook her head, her bushy hair falling over her shoulders as she did so. "I'm sorry you've had to go through some horrible things" she told him. "I know not all wizards are good, but it seems so wrong to turn against your children, just because they have made friends with people who aren't pure-blooded. I don't think I could ever fully understand that sort of elitism."

"It will get much worse before it gets better" Sirius said solemnly. "I know it won't be mentioned at school unless the situation gets much worse, but I know what my family are involved in. There is a very dark wizard who came out of Slytherin house several years ago. Ideas that my family share are being said more loudly than they have ever been. They do not think that muggle children should be taught magic. I think it's crazy, I mean, look at Lily. She is muggle-born and probably the best witch in Gryffindor! I don't know how much of this is being talked about in public, but my family has always been pure-blooded, so to come into contact with this wizard has been exactly what they wanted. There is talk that he wants to become so powerful that he can control the wizarding world, in order to make my family's dream a reality. It's a terrifying thought."

Hermione nodded. "We just have to hope that this idea is squashed before anyone gets hurt" she said.

"It's too late for that, I think" Sirius told her sadly. "According to Regulus, the muggle families will be targeted soon, this dark Wizard is planning some terrible things. My parents wanted me to attend one of the meetings they have been going to, with all the worst of the pure-blood families. My mother hasn't spoken to me since I refused to go."

Hermione surprised herself by taking his hand in her much smaller one and squeezing it gently. "It's very brave of you to stand up to your family like that" she told him, blushing as he looked down at their hands, then up at her, one eyebrow slightly raised.

Sirius considered whether to comment, but decided he rather liked it and simply said: "well I am in Gryffindor, I'm supposed to be brave." He caught sight of Madam Pomfrey standing in the doorway to her rooms, and wondered how much she had heard. He didn't point her out to Hermione and was slightly surprised when the nurse merely stepped into her rooms, softly closing the door behind her.

"I really should go" Hermione said, after a long moment of silence. "I've still got to finish my potions essay for tomorrow. Do you think you'll be let out in the morning?" she asked as she got to her feet.

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. I'll probably have Pomfrey actively trying to throw me out the first time I speak to her."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but laughed anyway. "Now, you really need to sleep" she said, falling into her habit of bossing boys around.

"Yes miss" Sirius said, laughing at the expression on her face. "Thanks for visiting, and sorry for depressing you with my life story" he said. "There's a passage back to the common room, you know" he added, as she turned to leave.

Hermione looked at him in surprise. "Really? Where?" she asked.

Sirius indicated a section of wooden panelling a few feet from his bed. "Tap that panel three times. You'll come out on the stairs to the dorms. Try not to let anyone see, we like to keep these secrets to ourselves" he added at her questioning look.

The girl nodded. "Of course" she told him. "Sleep well, I'll see you tomorrow." She walked over and knocked on the panel. Sure enough, it slid back at the third tap."

"Goodnight Kitty" Sirius called after her. As the panel slid back into position, he lay back down, feeling suddenly tired and was asleep within the minute.


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione lit her wand with a whispered 'lumos' and walked as swiftly as she dared through the corridor. She realised that this must be used by Remus and the others around the time of the full moon, when Remus spent a few days in the hospital wing. Wondering why this passage had not made it onto the marauder's map which the Weasley twins had given to Harry, Hermione reasoned that perhaps this was a secret they valued a little too much. Before long, Hermione came to a dead end, with a similar wood panel to the one in the Hospital wing. As she approached, a face squirmed into being on the previously smooth wood.

"Place your hand to the right of me" a voice, dry and dusty whispered.

Hermione did as she was told, watching the face curiously as the mouth curved up into a smile.

"You may pass, Gryffindor Hermione Granger" the face said, fading back into the wood as the panel slid back.

Stepping cautiously through into the gloom of the staircase, the bushy-haired girl quickly climbed the stairs to the girl's dormitories. As she pushed open the door to her bedroom, she saw Lily reading, lying on her bed.

The red-head looked up with a smile as she saw her friend. "I was hoping you would come back soon" Lily said. "This potions essay is horrible. I can normally understand potions but I'm so confused."

Smiling at the hopeful look on Lily's face, Hermione picked up her school bag and sat down beside Lily. "We'll work it out between us" she promised, picking up a text and starting to read.

It was two hours later that the two girls finished their homework. Hermione sat back, looking quite exhausted. "I forget how much I hate potions sometimes" she said.

Lily smiled. "I normally like it, I just think that Professor Slughorn has set us homework about things he hasn't taught us. Where were you after dinner?" she asked suddenly.

Hermione blinked at the sudden conversation change. "I went to see how Sirius was, he asked me before dinner if I would go back later."

The red-haired girl leaned forward, her green eyes shining. "Is Sirius taking an interest in you?" she asked quickly, laughing as Hermione blushed.

"It's nothing like that" Hermione protested quickly. "He just asked if I'd come along for a chat, as we hadn't spoken properly yet, and he wanted to get to know me a little. I'm sure he didn't mean anything else. He didn't … try anything on."

Lily frowned. "Sirius doesn't usually take much of an interest in just talking to girls" she said, after a moment's thought. "I don't mean to sound nasty, but Sirius has quite a reputation as a serial dater. I don't normally jump to conclusions about people, but please just let me warn you that he has mis-treated girls. You have only just met him, so you don't know what he can be like, and I don't want you to be hurt."

Hermione, although slightly annoyed by Lily's presumption that she and Sirius had done anything other than talk, understood that the other girl was just trying to be a friend. She smiled. "Thanks, but I really don't think I'm the sort of girl Sirius would go for, and from what I've heard of his family, I don't think I'd fit in very well with the 'pure' blood ideal."

"Sirius doesn't fit in very well either" Lily pointed out. "I'm glad you're not angry with me for implying anything, but you really needed to know, just in case."

"I appreciate it, really" Hermione said. "But you really have nothing to worry about. The last person I can see myself falling for is a guy like Sirius Black."

"Sirius, meanwhile, had awoken from his slumber with a start. He grabbed his wand, wondering what had made him wake up in such a way. Hearing a noise, he sent another ball of light from his wand to hang in the centre of the room, sending a dim glow out into the furthest corners of the room. "I wish you'd just let me get some sleep. I'm not that exciting that I need to be stalked at all hours" he drawled, keeping his lazy, aristocratic drawl heavy with sarcasm as his eyes darted about the room. He made out movement and sent a stinging hex swiftly in that direction.

A cry of pain heralded a black-haired boy's appearance in the light.

"My dear baby brother" Sirius said, in the same tone of voice. "Come to see how I fare? So kind of you, but you really didn't need to interrupt my sleep."

Regulus hurried to his brother's side. "Be quiet, for god's sake" he said, looking quickly around him to make sure they were alone. "What are you playing at Sirius? Why are you deliberately befriending muggle-borns? You know what mother said to you before we left."

"That I was not worthy to belong to the most noble house of Black? I will recover eventually from so hard a blow. Is that all you came to tell me?" he continued, keeping his voice light, but his gaze was watchful.

"You know where the family stands. They feel that the Lord Voldemort has come to ensure pureblood supremacy at last. You know it will happen in the end, and then where will that leave you and your mudblood friends?"

"If you have just come to threaten me, then you may go" Sirius said, his voice now with a hint of steel in it.

"I'm not threatening you, I came to make you see you have a choice. It is not too late to return to the family and to be a true Black" Regulus said earnestly.

Sirius felt genuine sadness. It was too late for his brother to see sense; he had been brainwashed into the Black way of thinking. He had hoped that he would never truly have to rid himself even of his younger brother. "I am cursed with the name of Black, it's true" he said, after a long moment. "It is not, however, who I am. I cannot follow this Voldemort, and rid the Wizarding world of some of the finest people I have ever met. You think this will stop with muggle-borns being kept out of Hogwarts?" he continued. "I can tell you now, that he won't stop there. I have no doubt that muggles will suffer too. What will they do to deserve it? I hope, honestly I do, that you realise this before it is too late. You were never all bad, Regulus, I hope you learn that before this is all over."

"There is no sense in you!" Regulus said angrily. "You are a disgrace to the name. I had hoped you would listen to reason, but you will not. As far as I'm concerned, Sirius, I will not see you as a brother for as long as I live!" He turned on his heel and ran from the room.

Sirius sat up for a long while after his brother's departure, a sad look on his handsome face. He and Regulus had been close as children, and he knew now that it would never be the same again. It was several hours before sleep finally overcame him.


	7. Chapter 7

Huge, huge thanks to all my reviewers. Your words mean so much to me!

It was a withdrawn Sirius who met his friends in the Gryffindor common room before breakfast the following morning. Nevertheless, he met Remus' troubled amber gaze with a smile. "They let me out, Moony" he said as they began the walk down to the great hall to eat. "Regulus disowned me last night" he added after a moment, as Remus had continued to stare at him silently.

The sandy-haired boy sighed. "I'm sorry, I know you used to be close" he said, keeping his voice low so the others wouldn't hear their conversation.

"I'm a bit more worried by what he told me" Sirius said. "I think things are a lot worse in the outside world than we thought. I think it won't be too much longer before they start campaigning for laws against muggle-borns studying magic, at the very least."

"They are more likely just to all gang up and kill them all" Remus pointed out bluntly. "Do you think other wizards know about this yet?"

Sirius frowned. "I'm not sure; it all seems very hushed-up at the moment. At least I've found out this dark wizard's name. He's calling himself Lord Voldemort. He sounds as if he's completely mad. His views seem to be along the same lines as my parents. It's only a matter of time before they find themselves strong enough to be able to threaten the muggle-borns."

"Maybe you should speak to Dumbledore about this" Remus said, after a moment, "if only to stop them forcing you to return to your family in the summer. You could be in real danger, Sirius. You are known by your family to be friends with muggle-borns. How long do you think it would be before they remove the threat to their pure-blood beliefs?"

"You think they'd kill me off?" Sirius asked him quickly.

"I'm just thinking of the worst scenario" the sandy-haired boy replied calmly. "It probably would not be the case, but we don't know how bad the situation is outside school."

"I'll see Dumbledore after breakfast" Sirius told him, adding with a quick grin: "if that will stop you panicking, Moony."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Fine; you do that."

Hermione traded a look with Remus as they all sat down to breakfast. She too had noticed Sirius' uncharacteristic behaviour. "He looks troubled" the girl said quietly as Remus passed her the juice.

"Family troubles" Remus replied briefly, not wanting to break Sirius' confidence, but touched by the concern in Hermione's expression. "He'll be fine."

The bushy-haired girl merely nodded, frowning at the change in the black-haired boy seated across from her. His usually bright grey eyes shone dully, his look was almost anxious; his pale skin even whiter than usual. Deciding to find out what had happened later, Hermione ate her breakfast quickly so she could go to Dumbledore. It was about time that she addressed her mission. Finishing her toast, she pushed her chair back, uttering a quick goodbye as she left."

Standing outside the headmaster's office, Hermione tried to think of a password. Before she could speak, however, Dumbledore himself appeared behind her. "Shall we go up?" he said lightly. Addressing the gargoyle next, he said: "Liquorice Snaps." They both jumped onto the spiral staircase as it ascended, and entered the study in companionable silence. When they were both seated, the professor spoke again. "Well, Miss Granger?"

Hermione looked up at him for a moment, and then started to speak. "I think I'm failing my mission" she said, coming straight to the point. "I'm not as clever as you supposed. I've no idea what I'm meant to be doing or how to find it out."

Dumbledore leaned forward, his clear blue eyes sparkling behind his glasses. "My dear girl, you are not failing" he told her gently. "I entrusted this to you because I knew you would instinctively act in the right way, and you are doing. Do not worry so, Miss Granger, even though this is not something you will not be able to solve through reading, you are perfectly well equipped to succeed."

Hermione looked more comfortable. "That is a new experience for me, professor. Harry was always far more comfortable than me with just letting things happen. I will try my best."

The headmaster smiled. "Good: I know you are in the perfect company, and do not worry about it in the least." He stopped as there came a knock on the door. "Enter" he said clearly.

The door opened to reveal Sirius standing there. "I can come back" he said instantly "if you are busy professor."

"Was there anything else, Miss Martin?" Dumbledore asked.

Hermione started, blinking at the swift change of name. "I don't think so, sir. I'll be going now."

"Don't" Sirius said, adding quickly: "I mean, do you mind staying, you'd help."

The girl coloured faintly at his words, but merely said: "of course."

Sitting down next to the bushy-haired girl, Sirius looked uneasy. "It's about my family, sir" he began slowly.

Dumbledore looked quickly at him. "I would like to hear of it, Mr. Black, if you can tell me anything."

Sirius nodded, tossing his shining hair back from his face. "I think, Sir, there will be a war in the wizarding world before many years have passed. There is a man, Lord Voldemort. Have you had news of him?"

"There have been whispers, merely. No-one will say much for fear of being heard" the professor replied.

Hermione looked at the headmaster strangely. She had never heard him so forthcoming when addressing a student. She wondered if the history she knew was already beginning to change

"My family think he is the greatest of wizards. He shares their beliefs, that muggle-borns should not know magic; that muggles are a lesser species; and that the supreme blood is 'pure'. They are meeting with him in secret, together with all of the oldest and darkest families. I'm sure you know who I mean; I know I'm related to the whole lot of them in some way. The thing is, Sir, Regulus spoke to me last night, urging me to renounce my apparent 'muggle-loving' status and to become a true Black. He thinks I might become a target as well."

The professor had begun to look more troubled as Sirius had been speaking. "I think it unwise for you to return home, Sirius, until we can discover if there is any truth in your brother's words. Thank you for coming to tell me of this, it was dangerous thing to do, you know."

"That's how you can tell I'm a true Gryffindor, Sir" Sirius replied, his grin returning now he had confided in the headmaster.

Dumbledore surprised Hermione by laughing out loud. "You are indeed, Mr. Black. You are indeed an asset to your house, although I am sure your house-mistress does not often agree."

Sirius grey eyes shone as he joined in with the headmaster's mirth, but sobered as he spoke again. "Thank you for listening, sir."

"Help will always come at Hogwarts to those who ask for it" Dumbledore told him. "You have given me valuable information, Sirius. I thank you for it."

Sirius stood, Hermione following him. "Will you let me know what is happening?" he asked Dumbledore suddenly.

After a moment, the headmaster nodded. "I will do all I can" he promised.

"Thank you" Sirius replied, leading the way to the door. As the staircase descended, he turned to look at Hermione. "Thank you for staying" he said. "I don't think I'd have gone through it on my own. For all I'm a Gryffindor I was raised a Slytherin."

Hermione squeezed his arm gently. "I'm glad I know" she told him. "All I'm worried about now is how long we have before this becomes a war we will all be part of."

"I think all we can do is hope and pray it doesn't come to that" Sirius said, after a moment.

"I guess so" the bushy-haired girl agreed, thinking about the Tri-Wizard tournament which cost Cedric Diggory his life. How long would it be before war was declared now Lord Voldemort had, indeed, returned in her own time? She wondered whether Harry's dad and his friends were as keen to free the world of Voldemort as Harry himself.


	8. Chapter 8

That evening, Sirius came to sit by Hermione as she sat curled in a quiet corner of the common room, reading a large textbook. "I need to ask you something" he said, as she glanced up at him, a puzzled look on her face.

Hermione closed her book and focused her attention on Sirius. He was clearly still troubled by the news he had received from Regulus the previous night. His normally sleek black hair was tousled as if he had been grabbing at it and his face was grave. Hermione nodded and waited for him to speak.

"I think we need to do something to find out what is going on out there" he began. Seeing Hermione still looked puzzled, he pushed on: "clearly this Lord Voldemort is gathering to him people who are sympathetic to his ideas. How long do you think everyone else will survive if they are not prepared for a possible attack? Regulus was, I think, genuinely convinced that my family were prepared to do away with me somehow in order to preserve the family's honour and 'pure' status. They can't be the only ones. How far do you think this man's followers might one day be prepared to go to make their pure-blood dream a reality?"

Hermione looked at him, knowing she had to think quickly. How early on was the Order of the Phoenix formed in the first fight against Voldemort? Surely not when Sirius and his friends were in their fifth year at school. She had always had the impression that the Order was not formed in enough time to have gathered the strength to have withstood a war with the huge amount of Death Eaters. It was perhaps the only good thing that had come out of Voldemort killing the Potters; he had been vanquished before a full-out war had erupted. "If this Voldemort recruits enough people into his group; this could well come to the slaughter of everyone who stands in their way" she said softly.

Sirius' normally care-free face was solemn. "That's what I think too" he confessed. "What should we do?"

"How far do you think your Gryffindor courage would take you?" Hermione asked. "Would you be able to fight against the pure blood ideal?"

The black-haired boy's silver eyes darkened. "They would have to kill me before they hurt any of my friends" he said, anger evident in his voice.

"That's how I feel, too" Hermione told him, smiling softly. "From what I have read of Professor Dumbledore, I think he feels just as strongly. He has written articles to support muggle rights in society, and publicly defended his right to accept muggle-borns into Hogwarts as well."

Sirius' brow darkened with concentration. "I don't know what to think" he confessed. "Are we really discussing standing up against the pure blood idealists?"

Hermione shrugged awkwardly. "I think we are, yes" she said.

"Stay here" Sirius told her, before standing abruptly and heading off towards the boy's dormitory. He returned moments later with James and Remus, who both looked a little confused. "I couldn't find Peter, but three out of four knowing will do for now" he said, shaking his hair out of his eyes and pulling the others down to sit on the sofa opposite Hermione's chair.

"I was sleeping, Sirius" James protested as he took his glasses off to rub his eyes.

"Be quiet and listen" Sirius said sternly.

Taking in his friend's uncharacteristic seriousness, James sighed, but listened as Sirius began to speak.

"So you are suggesting we form a pro-muggle army, on the off-chance that Volemort and his companions wage war on society?" Remus asked, after patiently listening to Sirius' somewhat disjointed explanation.

Sirius looked exasperated. "Dumbledore is worried, Re. Surely that at least is enough to know that I am not imagining things.

Remus nodded, and then turned to Hermione. "You saw Dumbledore's reaction as well. What did you think, Kitty?"

Hermione, realising that her opinion might mean the difference between acting and not acting, sat up straight in her chair. "His expression grew more grave as Sirius spoke. He advised against Sirius returning home, and said that telling people about what Regulus had said was a dangerous thing to have done. I don't know how he normally reacts to things, but he seemed to me to be very troubled by what he had heard."

Remus nodded again, his scarred face worried. "I know I told you this morning that you might be in trouble, but I said that only to get a second opinion from higher authority, to be honest." Ignoring Sirius' accusing stare, the sandy-haired boy leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and looked around the small circle of his friends. "This is real; there is a Wizard who is uniting those with pure-blood elitist ideals, and encouraging the idea of pure-blood rule. The question is now what we are to do about it?"

"We fight him, if necessary" James stated flatly, powerfully reminding Hermione of Harry, who would have decided the same thing just as quickly.

"From what I heard over the summer, he's a very powerful Wizard, and ruthlessly ambitious" Sirius said. "Admittedly all I heard was gossip and Regulus' hero-worshipping anecdotes, but it must be true. Anyway, most of the oldest pure-blood families seem aquainted with him. Mine; as well as various Malfoys; Knotts; Goyles; you get the picture."

"But what can we do?" Hermione asked quietly. "None of us have the ability to defend ourselves against Wizards who have had so much more time to learn how to fight."

Remus' brow furrowed as his quick mind worked. "We are none of us unintelligent" he said, after a moment. "Between ourselves, there is no knowing what we could achieve."

Sirius, who had been listening quietly for a change, leaned forward, his grey eyes bright. "We could fight them, we all know it. Even Peter managed to learn that difficult spell we learnt last year."

Hermione, who knew that three of the boys had become animagi in secret, had to stop herself nodding in agreement."

"Do we tell Dumbledore what we're up to?" James asked. As they others looked at him, confused, he added: "I was just thinking that we could get others involved. We could form a defence club. Dumbledore would add credence to it, as we can't let the sons of these pure-blood extremists know what we are really preparing for."

"We might put Hogwarts in danger if Voldemort found out that we were training to fight against him" Remus pointed out.

"Not if we put the story out that we are forming a remedial group to learn for our practical defence exam" Hermione said, not knowing where the idea came from. "I heard stories that you all seem to get into trouble an awful lot. Perhaps we can suggest the idea to Dumbledore that you are being forced to attend extra lessons in lieu of detention, or something like that."

"I'll speak to him in the morning" Sirius said, looking impressed with the idea. "Dumbledore can be quite devious considering that he is a teacher."

"It's true" James put in. "Considering some of the pranks we have pulled over the years, we have never had a severe punishment." He yawned suddenly, raking a hand through his unruly hair. "Now that's decided, Sirius, can I go back to sleep?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Go; Prongs. Sorry that the possible overthrow of pure-blood extremists isn't enough to keep you awake."

James punched him in the arm, but laughed. "Night" he called over his shoulder, as he staggered back towards the dormitory stairs. Remus stood as well. "I need to finish some potions reading; I'll see you in the morning" he said, following James to the stairs.

"Why did you call him 'prongs'?"Hermione asked, trying her best to look curious.

Sirius started slightly, obviously not realising he had let the nickname slip. Pulling himself back together quickly, he shrugged. "Who knows where nicknames come from?" he said lightly, dismissing the subject. "It's late" he continued swiftly, in case Hermione asked another difficult question. "Will you come with me to see Dumbledore tomorrow? You can read the old man far better than James, and I'd like a second opinion to see if we can work out what he's really thinking."

Hermione nodded, pleased that he wanted to include her in this. She had thought that once he had told the marauders about this, she would have been pushed to the sidelines. "I'll see you tomorrow" she said, smiling softly at him as she slipped away up the stairs to her dormitory.


	9. Chapter 9

Breakfast was a surprisingly quiet affair considering the four marauders sat together in the Great Hall. They did not mention the conversation of the previous evening, as they were afraid of being overheard. Hermione sat beside Lily, talking quietly about the transfiguration essay which was due in the following day, wanting to tell her about what she had been discussing in the common room. She knew she had to find a way to slip away from her friend to visit Dumbledore with Sirius, but could not think of a plausible excuse.

As Hermione finished the last of her toast, Sirius saved her of thinking of a solution to the problem by walking over to where she sat and tapping her on the shoulder. "Ready?" he asked her. Turning to Lily, he tossed back his black hair. "Sorry, Evans, but Kitty and I need to get some books out for our joint potions assignment."

"Of course" Lily said, smiling as Hermione got up from the table. "I'll see you in class."

Hermione followed Sirius out of the Great Hall. "I didn't know we had been partnered up in potions" she said as they climbed the stairs.

Sirius flashed her a smile. "Professor Slughorn and I are good friends" he said. "Although I am a Gryffindor, I am still an eldest son of an aristocratic family. Poor Slughorn can't resist one such as myself even the simplest of requests."

They were soon standing before the phoenix statue that led up to the headmaster's study. Sirius muttered the password and pulled Hermione onto the steps as the phoenix began to revolve. Sirius stepped off the stairs first as they slowed to a halt in front of a large wooden door. He knocked softly on the dark wood, and the door swung open. He led Hermione inside and together they stood in front of Dumbledore, who was seated at his desk.

"Good morning to you" the headmaster said, his eyes twinkling at them as he smiled slightly. "Sit down, both of you." Surveying the now seated pair through half-moon spectacles, he leaned back in his high-backed chair. "Now, what can I do for you this morning?"

Kitty looked at Sirius, who was looking at the headmaster, unsure how to begin. "I don't really know how to start" Sirius blurted out, surprising Hermione with his honesty.

"I always find the beginning to be the easiest place" Dumbledore replied, his smile kind.

Sirius flicked his hair back from his face and leaned forward in his chair. "Well, when we spoke with you yesterday, your reaction to my news made me feel that there was more to Regulus' warning than I had originally thought. We talked with James and Remus about what Lord Voldemort is doing. I know of several families with which he is acquainted. We believe that there is only a matter of time now before these pure-blood elitist ideals they have will be acted upon. We can't leave it any longer to think about what we should do. We need to act. We need to learn how to defend ourselves before it is too late. I know that I present an easy target as I am now. If the family does want to kill me off to ensure they stay in with their pure-blooded friends, I wouldn't be able to stop them, and I don't like that at all."

"So what are you proposing?" Dumbledore asked

"It's quite a lot to ask, sir, I know, but we want permission to start up a sort of defence club. The catch is that we want people excluded who are likely to let the information slip to any of Voldemort's friends." Sirius looked up at the headmaster. "Frankly, we need your help to make this work, otherwise we may well be found out, and that would be disastrous. I understand if you do not want this underhand business to be going on at the school, but do you see how important such an idea is?"

Dumbledore rose from his chair, and strode about the room for several moments in silence, before turning back to Hermione and Sirius, who had been watching him in silence. "I do see that the ability to defend oneself would be most comforting if what you think will happen does in fact occur" he said, after a long while. "I told you I would keep you informed of the occurrences outside of the school. It was reported to me that, late last night, a muggle-born witch from the ministry of magic was killed in a most distressing way. It seems that she was killed because of the fact that she was muggle-born. I think that now seems like a perfect time to allow a defence club to be formed. The only difficulty is, as you say, not allowing the information to slip out to the wrong people. I will not have it said that we are training an army in Hogwarts' school; the governers of the school and the parents would be terrified if such gossip reached their ears, whether it proved to be true or false." Moving to sit behind his desk again, Dumbledore seemed to come to a decision. "Come back to see me after breakfast tomorrow. I need to arrange a few matters. In the meantime, I need you to begin a task for me. It will not be easy, and I suggest that you only tell your closest friends about it. I want you to create a map of Hogwarts. It will not be an ordinary map, but one which details every hidden passage throughout the school that you can find, and for the finishing touch, you must enchant the map so that it shows where every person is at all times. You must realise how useful this will be to you." Standing, he smiled at them both. "I will see you back here in the morning." He disappeared into another of his rooms, leaving Hermione and Sirius staring after him.

"So, I think he likes the idea" Hermione said, after a long moment.

Sirius shook his head, standing up. "He's always one step ahead, isn't he?" he said, an exasperated look on his face. "How are we supposed to find out how to create this magical map by tomorrow morning?"

"We'll need some help" Hermione said as she followed Sirius out of Dumbledore's study and down the stone steps. "At least it's Saturday tomorrow. If we have to stay up all night, at least we won't be falling asleep in class."

"Well that's a relief" Sirius muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes at her as they reached their first class of the day.

At dinner, Sirius and Hermione told Remus, James and Peter about the map Dumbledore wanted them to create. James rolled his eyes and Peter just looked confused, but Remus' eyes brightened and he immediately pulled out a quill and a length of parchment.

"What did the map have to show?" Remus asked; quill poised.

"It's got to show the whole of the school, complete with secret passages, and we need to show every person's position inside the castle as well" Sirius said, looking a little glum.

Remus, however, had begun scribbling furiously upon the parchment. The others watched him in silence as he worked for several more minutes. Eventually he looked up, blinking as he realised everyone was staring at him. Clearing his throat to cover his embarrassment at being the centre of attention, he began to fill the others in. "Really, it's quite straightforward" he said, while the others gaped at him.

"Moony, I know you are a walking fountain of all knowledge, but really, how is this straightforward?" Sirius asked in disbelief.

Remus shrugged. "We'll need to work in two groups; Kitty and I should go to the library to check out some research books. If you step inside the library, Sirius, you know you'll be thrown out." Sirius nodded his agreement. He and James had caused far too much trouble in this quiet place of study and had been banned from entering the room every year since they had started at Hogwarts. "You three can map out the castle. It doesn't have to be exact, as I know about a spell which can alter a rough map into a more exact copy, but it needs to be as detailed as you can manage. Between three of you, it shouldn't take too long."

"I'll start in the grounds" James said, taking charge of his group. "They won't see me. Sirius, you and Pete start at the entrance hall. You go west and, Pete, you go east. Go as far as you can in an hour, then meet back at the common room. We'll be able to compare what we've done and plan out the next stage from there."

Agreeing this was the best course of action, Sirius got to his feet, Peter scrambling up eagerly to stand between the two people he adored. With a smile at Hermione, Sirius led the others out of the great hall to begin their task.

Hermione and Remus slipped off to the library. It seemed that Remus knew the library even better than Hermione did herself, and he quickly told her the titles of the books that he wanted, and where she would be able to find them. Before long, they were back in the common room, large books spread across the carpet in front of the fire. As it was a Friday evening, the room was full of Gryffindors, relaxing after a long week of lessons. Hermione was trying desperately to read a large tome about magical cartography with little success; everyone seemed to want to know what they were doing working at the start of the weekend. After a frustrating fifteen minutes, Remus closed his book with a snap. "Let's go upstairs" he said, gathering up the books. Hermione followed him wordlessly up to the boy's dormitory, where they were soon joined by the others.

"Well?" Remus asked the others as they piled into the room, grinning. "How are you getting on?"

"Really well" Sirius burst out, throwing himself onto the bed. "We've managed the first three floors and the grounds; two more to go and then the towers, and we're done." He flicked his black hair out of his eyes, which were shining. "We might actually get this finished after all."

"Well, we will if you stop lazing around up here" Remus remarked mildly, smiling slightly.

"Remember we need secret passages shown too" Hermione said, remembering Dumbledore's instructions.

"We think we remembered them all" Sirius told her. "Seven out of the school, as well as moving tapestries. There aren't many on the upper floors." Standing up again, he pulled James to the door. "Let's get this done" he said. "We're wasting valuable pranking time hanging around up here."

The trio clattered back down the stairs again, leaving Hermione and Remus in peace.

"Shall we get to work?" he asked.

Heaving a sigh of relief at the silence in the room, Hermione began her research in peace.


	10. Chapter 10

Hours later, Hermione finally put down the last of the books she had been searching through and rubbed her sore eyes. She and Remus had been working in near silence ever since the others had left. Between them lay parchment scrawled with notes taken from the books that were piled around them on the floor.

Remus looked over at Hermione with a gentle smile. "I'm glad you're here" he told her, pulling his glasses off and rubbing his nose.

"Why?" Hermione asked, pleasantly surprised by the remark. She had felt very keenly her lack of knowledge on the subject they were researching and was sure Remus had noticed the gap in her learning.

Remus' eyebrows rose. "Have you any idea how long this would have taken me on my own, Kitty? I'm sure you have noticed by now how much of a nightmare it is to make Sirius or James sit down and patiently work at something, and as for Peter, well, I don't think he'd have understood what he was looking for." He stretched out his thin frame, before flopping down on his stomach to lie close beside Hermione, where their pile of notes lay.

The speed of the movement made Hermione tense. Willing her heart to slow, she felt a blush creep up her face as she knew that Remus would have sensed her reaction. Remus' eyes flicked up to meet hers and the intense amber of his gaze made her aware of his inhuman side, far more than ever before. It seemed as though this other side of him grew in dominance as he pushed himself up so he was sitting even closer to her, again in that same movement which was almost too fast to see. Leaning forward, eyelids slid shut over those glowing eyes as he softly inhaled.

A second later, Remus was sitting back slightly, looking at Hermione sharply. "You know about me" he said; a statement rather than a question. "Who told you?"

Hermione, deciding instantly that denial was not an option, thought fast. "No-one did" she answered, truthfully. "I worked it out."

Remus snorted. "You've not been here long enough" he said. His voice grew softer, almost seductive as he whispered "I won't be angry with you; just tell me."

"Honestly, no-one told me" Hermione protested, alarmed by his reaction and hoping she sounded as sincere as she, in fact, was. The last thing she needed now was for Remus to fall out with his friends. She needed his intelligence too much, and she had a hunch that the marauders would have to stay a close team for her mission to succeed. "I met my first werewolf a couple of years ago now; I know what to look for."

Remus looked hard at her for a moment, as if judging the truth of her words. Relaxing slightly, he leaned forward again. "Why aren't you afraid?" he asked her, his voice still soft, but with an underlying challenge in his tone.

Hermione felt her reason begin to slip away as his amber eyes darkened and he leaned closer still. And then she knew what it was to be afraid of Remus Lupin. It was almost as if she was being tested and she knew she was going to fail. And then the door swung open and she looked up in time to see the retreating back of Sirius Black.

Seconds later, James was standing over them, an accusing look in his hazel eyes. "What just happened?" he asked sternly, folding his arms and glaring down at Hermione. "Kitty, what did you do?"

Hermione didn't even answer, but stood and ran from the room, hearing James' cold words echoing inside her head as she stumbled down the stairs and through the common room to the portrait hole. Wishing the marauder's map had already been created, Hermione headed instinctively for nearest door out into the school grounds. Knowing Sirius' hatred of being cooped up inside from her own time, she slipped out into the dark and chose a path which she knew led away from all other school buildings, where Sirius could guarantee to be alone. She crept along in the dim moonlight, knowing deep down how futile the search was. In his animagus form, Sirius' heightened senses would be able to keep him out of sight if he did not wish to be found. But this also meant that he would be able to hear her from much further away than normal. Finding herself close to the forbidden forest, she stood still and raised her voice. "I'm sure you can hear me, Sirius. I know you will be able to keep ahead of me for as long as you want to. I know what you think you saw, but won't you at least hear an explanation?" She stood listening for a few moments, and then leant back against a tree with a sigh. It seemed like she would have to play a waiting game. Pulling out her wand, she performed a warming spell and prepared to wait. She knew that Sirius' canine nose would catch her scent and she hoped that she knew him as well as she thought she did. The Sirius Black she had come to know would not be able to resist this argument.

She did not know how long she waited. She had sat with her back to the tree at the edge of the forest for so long that she had started to doze. There had been no sign of Sirius for hours, and Hermione was beginning to question her conviction that he would come to find her. But it was still hours before dawn when Hermione saw a dark shape at the edge of the forest, not too far from her, and she recognised the stance of Sirius sitting several feet away, still in his canine form. She watched him for a long moment before his outline shuddered and changed. She made no sound to show that she had spotted him, but waited without moving, feeling her heart began to beat faster as the anxiety caught up with her.

When the waiting had become unbearable, Sirius finally stood. "Well, Kitty?" he called out, his usual velvet tone had lost its warmth and Hermione realised suddenly that she might have failed her task, just as she was beginning to understand what it might have been.

"You want to hear what you really saw?" Hermione asked him, keeping her voice as light as she could, and trying to control the shakiness of her breathing.

Sirius strode towards her, menacingly, and at last Hermione knew his temper was about to be let loose. "What I really saw?" Sirius began, his words crackled with anger. "I know what I saw; my two supposed friends doing everything they can to make sure we fail in what I was asked to do. Do you realise how serious this is, Kitty? My life, and so many others are at stake here, but you don't care. You promised to help me and I really thought you meant it. Or have you been lying to me since we first met?"

Hermione winced at the last remark, as she had lied to everyone she had met since travelling through the painting all those weeks ago.

Sirius noticed her movement and scowled. "Was that too close to the mark? Why didn't you just tell me you would rather sit in a makeshift library with Remus then help to save my life? I know I'm being selfish here, forcing the whole me getting killed issue into all this but really, doesn't it mean anything at all to you? I had thought that we were close, Kitty. I can't boast that many good friends, but I thought I could trust the ones I had; it doesn't feel good to find out that I was wrong."

Hermione stayed still and let Sirius vent out all of his anger on her. In a way she felt that she deserved it. It was true that Remus had distracted her from what they were working on. It was also true that she had lied to everyone; she had even lied about her own name. She managed to look up at him and felt a wave of despair crash over her, swirling into the guilty pool of her thoughts. But then a picture of her old friends, Harry and Ron, came into her mind. She thought of Harry's tragic start in life and the difficulties he had faced every day since. She remembered Cedric Diggory and the brutal end he had met. And lastly she thought of the Sirius Black she had known; who had lost two of his best friends, and was put in Azkaban by another that he had trusted. She could not let that happen; Sirius did not deserve to lose all that he loved. So she would not crumble under Sirius' accusations; her mission was too important. Too many people would be affected if she could not be strong.

"Sirius, listen to me" Hermione said, her voice miraculously steady. "I know what Remus is. He found out this evening and was amazed when I told him it didn't scare me. He couldn't believe that his lycanthropy did not horrify me and I think he was trying to see if I was lying. That's when you came in." She had been carefully watching his reaction as she spoke and watched hope wrestle with the anger in his eyes.

"How did you find out about Remus?" Sirius asked, distracted by what he had clearly not been expecting.

Hermione shrugged. "I was taught by a werewolf for a year; I know the signs" she said.

"So you weren't …" Sirius broke off and looked down at her, the hurt draining from his expression and being replaced by something softer and much more warm.

Hermione shook her head quickly. "I think we have found all the information we need to make your map" she told him. "That's what we spent the whole evening doing. You can think what you like about me, but do you really think Remus would abandon you so easily? You are one of the few people in his life that have ever stood by him who know who he really is. Do you think he would give you up to spend time with some girl?"

Unexpectedly, Sirius threw his arms around her and held her tight. "I overreacted, didn't I?" he said quietly, after a long silence.

"It can't have looked good from where you were standing" Hermione managed to reply, still a little shaky from the sudden embrace. She could not help but realise just how good it felt to be in Sirius' arms like this.

She heard rather than saw Sirius' smile as he replied; "I know, but I also know Remus, and you. You'd never disobey a teacher; Dumbledore only gave us one night to finish an assignment. Neither of you would be distracted until it was complete."

Hermione aimed a punch at his side, but her fist only made half of the tiny distance before it was caught in a much larger hand. She looked up to see the smirk on Sirius' face.

"Never fight a Quidditch player" he told her. "You'll lose every time." He released her from the tight embrace but kept hold of the hand she had punched with and uncurled her fingers so that he could hold her small hand in his larger one. "Come on" he said. "We've got Dumbledore's map to finish."

As they crept back through the grounds towards the castle, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps she would not fail after all.


	11. Chapter 11

The walk back to the common room was necessarily slow. Every corner they came to, Sirius would flatten himself against the wall, much to the annoyance of the portraits he knocked against, and peer around the corner to check for patrolling teachers. Hermione had always been terrified of sneaking about the school at night, despite the invisibility cloak that Harry had inherited. But now she found herself to be strangely at peace. She realised that she really did not care if she was caught. Shaking her head, she could not believe how much her perspective had changed since she had met the marauders. Fred and George would be proud of her.

She was shocked back to the present as Sirius grabbed her and almost threw her through a tapestry into a tight recess hidden beyond. Squashed tight against his tightly muscled chest, Hermione fought back a blush as she looked up questioningly.

"McGonagall" Sirius breathed into her ear. "Don't move or we're dead."

But despite his whispered warning, Sirius shot her a sly smile and managed to squash himself even closer, silver eyes smouldering. "Caught in seclusion with Sirius Black?" he whispered huskily, his tone sending shivers down Hermione's spine. "You'd make all the girls sick with jealousy if they found out."

"I doubt it" Hermione replied, her voice unexpectedly steady. "They're all in love with James, not you."

Sirius snorted. "Right." he whispered. "And anyway, if I'm so ordinary, why are you trembling?"

Before she could stop herself, Hermione raised her eyes to meet Sirius' scorching silver gaze. For the second time that night, she found all rational thought slipped away. She realised that she had stopped breathing when she began to go light headed and fought to keep her body under control. It was another long moment before she remembered how to breathe. 'Wake up, Hermione' she told herself sternly. She could not be distracted from her mission, and falling for Sirius' charm offensive could surely not be helpful. Swallowing nervously, she forced herself to look up at him again. "I'm not trembling, I'm shivering. It's cold" she told him.

Sirius raised one elegant eyebrow, but did not reply. Focussing his attention back on the corridor, for a moment, he nodded once. "It's clear" he said. Taking Hermione's small hand in his larger one, he slipped out from their hiding-place and together they ran the last few metres to the entrance of the common-room. Whispering the password to the unimpressed Fat Lady, they both breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be safe. "Come on Sirius said, uneasiness creeping into his expression as he faced the dormitory stairs. "I need to talk to Remus."

Hermione followed him up the stairs and into the boy's dormitory. All three boys inside looked up quickly as they entered. Hermione stopped in her tracks as James sent a glare in her direction, but then he turned away as Sirius laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's all ok, Prongs" he said, softly, turning his bright gaze on Remus. Holding his hand out to the sandy-haired boy, Sirius' smile was apologetic. He opened his mouth to speak, but Remus beat him to it.

"There's no need" he told him gently, shaking the outstretched hand. "I'm glad you're back, Padfoot, we need you for this bit." He led Sirius back to the parchment they had all been sitting round and Sirius looked back to Hermione, his eyes shining.

"Kitty, come and see this!" he exclaimed, sinking to the floor as he studied what they had been working on.

Hermione joined the group and could not with-hold her gasp. It was the Marauder's Map that Harry had been given by the twins, back in Third year. It was not yet yellow with age, and there were no people on it, but the outline of the school was there.

Remus handed Sirius a scrap of parchment. "This will neaten out the edges, but we need all of us to cast the spell at once for it to work; I don't have the strength to manage alone. Kitty, we'll need you too."

Hermione frowned slightly, not sure whether she should; she knew she had begun to change things already; she did not know how many more events she could alter before things started to go wrong. She could not resist the hope in Sirius' expressive eyes for long, however, and drew her wand as she approached the boys. Together, they chanted the spell, and blue light erupted from five wands, shooting out in all directions. Hermione watched in awe as the light filled the room, then seemed to filter out through the walls. Turning to the map, she watched as the black ink which mapped out the castle gradually turned blue. The lines moved on the parchment, moving to become straighter, doorways which had been marked in moved along a little, and one or two corridors were added, and some more classrooms were added. The ink on the map pulsed for a moment, before the blue faded and left behind black ink, with the words of the spell etched in flowing script along every line of ink.

"Wow" James managed to say, after a stunned pause. He pushed his glasses up his nose and looked round the group. "That was impressive."

The others all broke into wide smiles. "That was pretty awesome" Sirius agreed, looking at Remus with admiration. "How did you find out how to do that?"

Remus shrugged, blushing, unused to having all eyes on him. "I read" he said mildly. "Now are you ready for the next bit?"

"There's more?" Peter squeaked, blushing scarlet as the others all turned to him. "I mean, didn't that take a lot out of you guys too?"

Hermione looked over at the short boy, realising that he did look pale, and seemed to be swaying slightly. Clearly, he was not used to casting a spell as complex as that and was struggling to cope with the drain on his body. She struggled not to roll her eyes at him and managed to keep her tone light as she said; "Peter, it's really important that we finish this tonight."

"It's just one more spell now" Remus added, passing around pieces of parchment with the second spell scribbled down on them.

As Hermione took her copy, a sudden icy chill ran down her spine. She had just had a horrible thought; this map would show her real name. Looking up, she met Sirius' bright eyes and her heart sank. Given his reaction to the misunderstanding earlier, she could not imagine what he would say when he knew that she _had _been lying to them all, ever since they had met. She was brought back to the present with a start as Sirius lightly touched her arm.

"Ready?" he asked her, his bright eyes showing a flash of concern.

Swallowing her panic with considerable effort, she nodded and readied her wand. On a count of three, they all spoke the incantation and watched as a bright golden light filled the room just as the blue had before.

"this spell needs four hours to complete" Remus told them as they watched the parchment begin to glow.

Hermione looked up at him, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief. She would have time to go to Dumbledore before the spell took effect.

Sirius, however, looked thoroughly annoyed. "So we won't know it works before we take it to Dumledore?" he asked irritably.

Remus shot him a look, but then visibly relaxed and said mildly: "I'm as anxious as you are, Sirius. But it will meet Dumbledore's expectations at the very least. We've done all we can tonight." As he spoke, his amber eyes flicked over to Peter, who had curled up on the floor and begun to snore as soon as the spell had been cast.

Sirius' lip quirked and his good humour restored by the sight. "He's got the right idea" he said, yawning widely almost before he got the words out. "We've got to go to Dumbledore in a couple of hours; it's getting light already."

James got to his feet and levitated Peter to his bed with a flick of his wand. "Get some rest" he said to the others. "I'll see you at breakfast in, let's say two hours?"

Remus nodded wearily and rose, Sirius and Hermione following. "I'll see you all in the morning" Hermione said softly, smiling as the three awake boys wished her a sleepy good night. As she passed Sirius, she felt a shiver as he softly brushed his hand against hers. "Thank you for doing this" he whispered at her.

Hermione managed a shaky smile as she left, wishing with all her heart that Sirius would not react too badly when he discovered the truth.


	12. Chapter 12

It seemed that Hermione had only just got to bed when Lily shook her awake the following morning. Her green eyes were filled with concern as she saw how her new friend looked. "Kitty, do you need to go to the hospital wing?" she asked softly.

Hermione shook her head and attempted a smile. "I had a busy night" she replied sleepily, mentally scolding herself for speaking when Lily's eyes grew wide.

"What were you doing?" she asked, grinning as Hermione blushed.

Thinking quickly, Hermione sat up in bed and stretched out her stiff limbs. "I had a bit of an argument with Sirius" she confessed, knowing she had to tell at least some of the truth.

"Why?" Lily persisted curiously.

Leaving out all she could, Hermione suddenly felt that she wanted to share at least some of what happened. "He saw me with Remus and … jumped to conclusions. He lost his temper with me and I had to explain that Remus and I are just friends."

Lily stared at her in some shock. "Kitty, why would he mind about you being with Remus … unless, are you and Sirius dating?" she asked bluntly.

Hermione blushed. "No!"

"Then why would he be so jealous? Unless he likes you as more than just a friend, perhaps. Kitty, that must be it!"

"Can you honestly see Sirius falling for a bookworm?" Hermione asked quickly, worried that she might start spreading rumours about the school. Lily had looked so excited that she could not trust her not to tell someone else.

Lily immediately sobered, looking shrewdly at Hermione. "There must be a reason for him to be angry when he thought you were snogging Remus" she said, giggling as Hermione went bright red. "You will be careful, won't you?"

"Of course" Hermione assured her. "We should get down to breakfast before we miss it." Glad that the change of subject was enough to make Lily forget their conversation for the moment, Hermione dressed quickly and together they headed downstairs.

As they entered the common room, they were greeted by a flourishing bow and James crying: "Lily, love of my life! How I have missed you! "

"Shut up, Potter" Lily responded automatically, but the lack of anger in her tone made the others exchange glances. Had he finally worn her down?

James held his arm out to her and, to everyone's surprise, she tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, allowing him to lead her out of the common room.

"I thought Slytherins would become human and pigs would fly before I saw that" Sirius said, shock clear on his face. He looked around the room and then stiffened, pointing dramatically skyward. "Remus, duck, it _is_ a flying pig!" he cried, throwing himself over the back of a sofa and bouncing off the cushions onto the floor.

Laughing, Remus nudged him with his foot as he passed. "Come on, Padfoot, breakfast" he said, rolling his eyes at the spectacle.

Sirius rolled to his feet and grinned at Hermione. "Are you excited to hear what Dumbledore has to say?" he asked her as they followed the others down to breakfast.

Hermione, her stomach in a knot of worry, could only nod, knowing with one swift look up his expressive eyes that he was not convinced.

Sirius frowned at her. "What is it?" he asked, softly so the others could not hear.

Hermione shrugged. "Probably just nerves" she told him, internally wincing at the half-truth. As a completely honest person, she was really starting to struggle with the double-life she had been leading. Surely there had to be a way for her to explain herself to her new friends? Sitting down to breakfast, Hermione forced cereal down her tight throat, not at all hungry, but not wanting to draw attention to herself by not eating. It seemed to take forever for James and Peter to finish, but at last even they pushed back their plates and looked up eagerly.

"Finally" Sirius muttered darkly as they all rose from the table and said goodbye to a confused Lily.

Hermione giggled before she could stop herself and was rewarded with a bright grin. She followed the four boys down the hall, her happy mood evaporating as she had the feeling that she was being watched. Turning sharply, she caught sight of the corner of a cloak and a flash of dark hair whipping around a corner. "Sirius" she hissed urgently.

Sirius looked down at her, his grin vanishing as he saw her expression. "What is it?" he asked quickly.

"I think we're being followed" she told him.

His face grave, Sirius walked in silence for a moment, then gave a decisive nod. Tapping James on the shoulder, he told him the news.

"We shouldn't be seen meeting with Dumbledore" he said, pushing his glasses up his nose as his worried brown eyes scanned the area around them, looking for possible enemies.

"Let's split up" Remus suggested. "We don't all need to go."

James nodded and pulled a bundle of cloth that Hermione instantly recognized out of his pocket, throwing it to Sirius who caught it easily. "We'll split at the one-eyed witch" he said. Sirius, you and Kitty go to Dumbledore. We can lead any followers outside. The corridors are short enough around that way for them not to be able to see if you are with us without Remus noticing."

Sirius nodded and pulled Hermione closer to him. "It's an invisibility cloak" he hissed. "We can get to Dumbledore without anyone being the wiser.

Hermione was glad she had not betrayed herself when she had seen the cloak. Nodding, she walked closer to Sirius. His hand accidently brushed hers and Hermione forced herself to breathe as normal, telling herself sternly that now was really not the time to be having such feelings. Concentrating on calming her traitorous pulse, she did not see the statue of the one-eyed witch approaching and gave a surprised squeak as Sirius pulled her swiftly to him and through the invisibility cloak over them both.

Sirius covered her mouth with his hand, his silver eyes flashing down to meet hers. "Hush" he breathed into her ear, grinning as she shivered. And then he tensed and his head snapped up again. A moment later, Hermione saw what had caught his attention. Creeping along the corridor in the direction that the others had gone was a greasy-haired, hook nosed boy in Slytherin robes.

"Snape" Sirius hissed, moving Hermione aside so that he could walk past her.

Hermione grabbed on to him and held him with all of her strength. "You mustn't" she said urgently, freezing as the Slytherin paused and looked around.

Sirius, thankfully, was stilled by her anxious tone. He looked down at her and Hermione saw the anger drain from his expressive eyes. "Sorry: it's just hard to let it go" he told her, relaxing as Snape slithered out of sight.

"I know, but this is too important" she told him, relieved that he was listening to her. She knew how impulsive Sirius was and had not expected to be able reason with him so quickly. It was the first time that she had fully realised that there was a resolutely determined side to Sirius, and found herself thinking of him with a new kind of respect

"Ready?" Sirius whispered, bringing Hermione back to the present. She nodded and followed him to Dumbledore's office, her heart in her mouth as it always was when she snuck about the castle under this cloak. They made it to the office without mishap and pulled the invisibility cloak off when they were safely on the moving stairs.

"That's a useful thing to have" Hermione remarked as they waited to for the stairs to stop.

Sirius grinned. "It's got us out of a lot of trouble" he told her.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Hermione muttered in response as she knocked on the door to the office.

Sirius flashed her a wink as Dumbledore called for them to enter and pushed open the door, leading the way inside. "Good morning Professor" he said brightly, as he took a seat at the desk.

"Only two of you" Dumbledore asked, as he leaned forward in his high-backed chair to look at them over his spectacles.

Sirius shrugged. "We were being followed by some Slytherins. We thought it best to lead them away from our true destination, so split up."

Dumbledore frowned at the news, but did not comment. "You have been working on the map?" he asked them.

Sirius produced the parchment with a flourish, but did not smile as he placed it in front of the professor. "We are waiting for the spell to take effect that will place the people on the map, but everything else is in order."

"You have done very well" Dumbledore told them, admiration evident in his tone. "Ahh, look. The spell has worked. I think the little footsteps are a charming addition." He moved as if to pass the parchment back over the table, but paused and reached for his wand. "Just one thing" he murmured, waving his wand over quickly. He sat back and handed the parchment to Sirius, winking one of his twinkling blue eyes at Hermione, who looked quickly to the map and gave a profound sigh of relief as she saw the tag "Kitty Martin" next to "Sirius Black" in the sketch of Dumbledore's study.

"Well, what now, Sir?" Sirius asked bluntly, his bright eyes shining as he looked up from the map.

"You see this class-room here?" Dumbledore said, pointing the fifth floor of the map, near to the astronomy tower. "I fear this is to become the remedial Arithmancy room. You are to report there on Monday afternoon after your final lesson of the day. You may tell your friends, and I will see to it that you will have a professor to oversee your work."

"Thank you, professor" Sirius said. "Is there any way we will be discovered, do you think?"

"There is a Fidelius charm on the room" Dumbledore told them. "If you are careful, which I'm sure you will be, unfriendly eyes will not know that the room exists. Now you should go and enjoy your weekend. I think you will most likely find your friends by the lake."

Recognising this as a dismissal, Sirius and Hermione stood to leave.

"Perhaps I may keep you a moment longer, Miss Martin?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'll see you by the lake" Sirius told her, giving her a quick smile before he left.

Hermione turned and sat back down.

"How are you getting on?" Dumbledore asked her, his voice unexpectedly gentle.

Hermione felt herself start to crumble at the kindness in his tone. "I'm finding it hard to lie" she told him abruptly. "How much harm would it really do if they found me out?"

Dumbledore's face was grave. "If they discovered you had lied to them, it might ruin all" he said softly.

"So, would it be better to tell them? Professor, I'm not sure about anyone else, but Sirius is getting very suspicious of me. What should I do?"

"I always find that the heart gives surprisingly sound advice" Dumbledore told her, his bright eyes giving away nothing as he looked down at her.

Hermione sighed, knowing that she would not get a more straight-forward answer from him. "I can't help wishing that this mission had come with an instruction book" she said, pushing her hair back from her face. Dumbledore's expression did not change and Hermione felt a surge of irritation which she immediately suppressed. "Tell me one thing?" she asked suddenly. "What did you do to the map to change my name?"

"A confundus charm" Dumbledore replied. "You would be able to counter the spell if you wished. Good day, Miss Granger."

Knowing that she was to get no more answers from the headmaster, Hermione forced herself to remain civil and she left to go outside to find her friends, her mind racing.


	13. Chapter 13

Just as Dumbledore had predicted, the others were lounging by the lake-side, under the shade of an ancient oak tree. Peter was asleep in the shade, curled up tightly and snoring a little. Beside him James and Lily were speaking to each other softly, with Sirius adding a sentence once in a while. Remus was beside them, reading as always. But although he was clearly engrossed in his book, he was the first to look up at Hermione's approach.

"What did Dumbledore want?" Sirius asked her as she settled down on the grass next to him.

Hermione shrugged, unprepared for the question. "He just wanted to know how I was settling in" she said, after a pause that she felt was slightly too long. She noticed that both Remus and Sirius did not look convinced, and her stomach clenched as she saw them exchange a quick glance. She needed to make her decision soon. As quickly as she could think, she knew that she would not be able to afford to be questioned again. Neither of them would buy another flimsy excuse, and she could not help but recall Dumbledore's warning that they should not find out about her deception by themselves. Happily for her, James cut through the silence.

"We've just been filling Lily in about our plans" he said, keeping his voice quiet as he checked that they were still alone.

Lily's green eyes were shining as she leant closer to the others. "I can't believe that you all managed to create that map" she said. "Sirius just showed me; it's incredible!"

"It's largely down to Remus" Hermione told her, smiling. "If James said it was all him, he's lying."

Sirius gave a shout of laughter and James scowled good naturedly, pushing a hand through his messy hair. "That's what I just told her" Sirius said, his grey eyes sparkling in amusement.

"Anyway" James said pointedly, "so Dumbledore has given us permission to begin our defence club?"

Hermione nodded. "On Monday, after lessons. He said that he'll provide us with a teacher as well. Now all we have to do is to decide who can be told."

"We should err on the side of caution" Remus put in softly. "We can always increase numbers after a bit."

Sirius frowned. "But then we will have to start the lessons again" he said.

"How about we just tell Gryffindors in our year and older?" James suggested. "One thing we can be sure of is that no Gryffindor would tell a Slytherin. After the first week then we can think again."

After a moment, the others all agreed. "We have to start somewhere" Sirius said, shrugging. "We'll get the message spread after dinner tonight."

"BLACK! POTTER!" The Scots voice was so loud that Peter awoke with a start, leaping to his feet.

"I wasn't sleeping!" he protested lamely.

Laughing, James pulled him back down to the grass. "Never mind, Pete" he said. "It's just Wood going mental because we're … not at Quidditch practice. Sirius, he'll murder us!"

"Relax" Sirius said, but even he had paled noticeably. "On second thoughts, let's get there before he makes sure we die a slow and horrible death." He leapt to his feet, dragging James up after him. "See you later!" Together, they ran for the castle.

Lily shook her head, but was smiling. "I can't believe it" she said. "That must be the first time those two have put anything before Quidditch."

"They must be growing up" Remus said softly, an amused glow in his amber eyes as he closed his book with a snap. "Shall we watch practice?" As the others agreed, he rolled up the map of the castle and tucked it into his bag along with his books and fell into step beside Hermione, behind Peter and Lily. He slowed his pace a little so that a gap opened between him and the others and Hermione looked up at him curiously, knowing he had done so deliberately. "What are you hiding, Kitty?" he asked, so softly that Hermione was not sure at first that he had spoken. But then he directed the full force of his unusually intense gaze at her and she knew that she had to think of an answer quickly. "I'm glad you didn't just deny it" he added softly. "I know you are. Being what I am does not have many advantages, but I hear your heartbeat increase whenever someone asks you about your past, and I heard it today when Sirius asked you what Dumbledore had said to you. You're afraid of us knowing something. I know those signs. I have spent my whole life in fear of people knowing about me." Pausing, he unleashed the full glow of his stare on Hermione, who struggled even to return the look. She felt bare, as if he could see into her soul. After a moment, he shrugged. "I'm not asking for you to tell me right now, Kitty. I'm asking that you think about this very carefully. I have to be honest in that I'm far more worried for Sirius than you. You're not close with Peter; Lily and James can comfort each other, and I know that you're not what you seem to be. But Sirius has had enough trouble in his life without you adding to it."

Hermione had listened to all this in silence, knowing better than to protest. She stopped walking and found the courage to meet Remus' gaze unblinkingly. "Remus, I promise I shall think about this very carefully" she said. She could not promise to tell them the truth; she was too worried about her mission. But she knew that she did want to hurt any of them, especially Sirius. Her treacherous mind recalled her hiding with Sirius two nights ago, and the flash of attraction she had felt. Without Remus' warning, she knew that she would have to make her decision. Now it looked as though that time had come before she was ready. "I think I'll miss practice. I need to think" she said, seeing a flash of compassion in Remus' expression at her words.

He nodded. "We'll see you later" he said, unexpectedly pulling her into a gentle hug.

Hermione accepted the embrace gladly, surprised by the steel strength she felt in his frail-seeming arms. Comforted by his support rather than the rejection she had feared, she was able to smile as she turned and walked away from them.

Her mind was racing as she made her way back to the peace of the common room. It was a beautifully sunny day and she found herself quite alone. Curling up in her favourite armchair, she did her best to puzzle through every possible outcome of her either telling the marauders everything or nothing. Two hours later her brain hurt, but she was no closer to making her decision. It was with a mixture of panic and relief that she heard familiar voices approach the portrait hole and call out the password.

James and Sirius were both muddy and bruised, but at least they had both survived this practice without ending up in the hospital wing. James passed by her with a cheery wave on the way to the shower but Sirius paused. "We missed you" he said. His tone was light, but his eyes were questioning.

"Come find me when you're ready" Hermione said to him, her decision finally made. "I've got something I need to tell you." With that, she slipped out of the common room without looking back.

Trusting that Sirius would think to check the Marauders map, she found her way into the dustiest, least used corner of the castle that she could think of and settled down to wait.

She did not wait for long before she heard the door to the abandoned classroom squeak open and then closed again. Reflexively she drew her wand, but knew who had entered invisibly. There was a shimmer and then Sirius' dark hair spilled out of no-where, followed by the rest of him. "All this intrigue" he drawled, flicking his hair back from his face with one slender hand. His expression was watchful and Hermione noticed with a wave of sadness that he held himself warily, untrusting. That did not look good.

"Come and sit down" she suggested, indicating the other half of the window seat that she was on. She thought at first that he would refuse, but then he shrugged and joined her on the dust-covered bench.

"What's going on?" he asked, leaning back against the wall and turning his bright eyes on her.

Hermione took her Gryffindor courage firmly in both hands and fought her panic down. "I need you to listen to me very carefully" she said softly. "What I'm going to tell you is going to sound absolutely crazy, but I want you to hear what I have to say before you turn your back on me. Will you listen?"

Sirius sat still for a moment, and then nodded. "Merlin knows why, but I'll listen to you, Kit" he said, adding with a shake of his head: "I must be crazy not to walk away from you right now."

Hermione had been expecting him to say something like that, but it still hurt her to hear how much his view of her had changed so quickly. She took a deep breath. "I'm not who you think I am" she began.

Sirius rolled his eyes and snorted. "I'd got that much" he said, a little irritably. "I know people think I'm a bit dim at times, but I'm not Peter. I've known from the start that you're not quite right."

Not exactly sure what he meant by that, Hermione decided not to answer, but continued with her story. She told him the history of the world as it was in her time, not mentioning who it was who were murdered by Voldemort on the night of his first defeat. And then she continued on to explain the mission that Dumbledore had given her, and that she was being trusted to change something which might alter the outcome of the war that had previously ended with the unsuccessful murder of Harry.

It was not until she finished that she looked up at him, seeing the conflicting emotions warring in his expressive grey eyes.

"Prove it" he said shortly, startling her with the lack of emotion in his light voice.

"Did you bring the map?" Hermione asked, holding her hand out for it as Sirius wordlessly handed it over. She unrolled it and located her name tag. "Professor Dumbledore confunded the map when we showed it to him" she said. "Perform the counter-curse. I would but there's no proof that I'll do it right."

Sirius nodded and his eyes briefly darkened with concentration as he performed the spell, dropping his wand in shock as the map blurred and 'Kitty Martin' became 'Hermione Granger'. "That's not possible" he muttered, glaring up at her. "How did you do that?"

Hermione sighed. "We both know I didn't do anything" she told him softly.

Sirius scowled. "If you're here at Hogwarts in twenty years you'd know things about us" he said then, needing more proof, but then he sucked his breath in sharply and met her gaze again. "That's how you knew about Remus?"

Hermione nodded. "I told him that I had been taught by a werewolf. That was true; I had a Defence against the Dark Arts teacher in Third Year who was."

"Remus becomes a teacher?" Sirius asked, his ready grin springing to his lips despite his confused state. "That sounds about right. But I need more than just that."

"One of my best friends is James Potter's son" Hermione said, not wanting to add who the mother was. "He uses his Dad's cloak in school to sneak around after hours. I know that three of you are animagi; I know the nick-names you use for each other. Remus told Harry about them when he confiscated this map from him in our Third Year. I've been inside your Mother's house as well" she added suddenly, knowing that this information would definitely make him listen. Sure enough, a frown marred his pale brow and his eyes were dark.

"Tell me about the house" he demanded quickly.

Hermione shivered as she remembered the strange dark house that she had spent several weeks in at the end of the summer holidays. "I'm sorry, Sirius, but I have to say I hated the house. It's dark and frightening, and full of ancient artifacts that all look evil. Your house-elf Kreacher was horribly rude to me for being Muggle-Born, however kind I was to him. We weren't really allowed to snoop around too much, but I saw the room with your family tree on the walls, and saw the burn where your picture had been. Sirius, I was instructed not to tell any of you who I really was. I've hated lying for all this time. But you have to see that I did not want to fail my mission. Unspeakable, terrible things will happen if I do not succeed. But I have always felt that I would fail for certain if you did not trust me. It has been obvious to me that you have spotted I have been withholding the truth. Do you believe me now?"

Sirius looked at her for a long moment, not speaking as he processed the incredible information. "Have you met me, in your time?" he asked suddenly, as if the thought had just occurred to him.

Hermione smiled. "Yes I have" she said. "You called me the brightest witch of my age. But you are much changed; indeed I cannot think of you as the same person." She sobered at that and winced as Sirius' expression darkened.

"What happens to me?" he asked quickly.

Hermione shrugged helplessly. "I do not know anymore" she said quietly. "I have already changed the future. Your destiny is your own." She knew that she had spoken right when she saw the worry drain from his eyes, but she knew he would not be satisfied.

"What would have happened to me?" Sirius asked, touching her arm in sympathy as she paled.

"Sirius, are you sure?" she asked, pleadingly, but she saw the firm resolve in him.

"Tell me; it shall not happen now" he said.

Hermione closed her eyes briefly, but knew that she had no choice. "The Sirius Black in my time was wrongfully accused of murder and locked in Azkaban for twelve years" she told him, knowing her voice was unsteady but unable to help it. "He escaped and, when I left, was on the run. He looks a little like you, but the years were not kind to him; his dark hair is streaked with grey and his eyes were dulled by his long years in prison." Tremulously, she met his gaze and then was horrified when tears spilled down her cheeks. For a moment she was helplessly, horrifyingly alone, but then Sirius' arms were round her and she was pulled to his firm chest.

"Don't" Sirius said softly, squeezing her even more tightly. "I won't let it happen to this Sirius Black. Don't cry Hermione."

The new name on his lips quietened her far faster than anything else could have. He believed her! Hermione wanted to sing for joy, but only managed a watery sniff. She took the handkerchief that Sirius had produced from somewhere, dried her eyes and blew her nose. The relief at not having to hide her true self any more had stopped her tears as quickly as they had begun.

"So what is this mission you're on?" he asked her, after a long pause.

Hermione shrugged. "You know Dumbledore" she said. "He wouldn't do something so simple as to just _tell_ me. Whenever I see him, he says that I am doing the right things, but that's all the help he gives me."

Sirius chuckled. "That sounds about right" he said, but then sobered and pulled away a little from Hermione to look down at her. "Hermione; that sounds weird, by the way, have you told anyone else?"

Hermione shook her head. "Remus suspects" she said, after a moment. "He cornered me today and demanded that I decide what to do. He's quite intimidating for someone his size."

"You should see him at full moon" Sirius said, raising his eyebrows.

"I have" Hermione said, before she clapped a hand over her mouth. But then she relaxed; Sirius knew her story now. "There was a … situation at school. The Sirius Black of my time saved me and my friends from Professor Lupin when he was caught unawares in the school grounds on a full moon."

Sirius snickered. "Professor Lupin" he said, seeming more amused than troubled at the thought of having fought with Remus to protect others. "James has called him that as a joke for years. It's funny to think that it might come true one day. It's strange to think that you have known us as adults."

"I can't think of it like that" Hermione told him. "You are different to the Sirius Black of my time."

"More handsome for one" Sirius said, grinning as she blushed. He looked away from her and then frowned as something caught his eye, and then reached out and pulled the map towards them. "Someone's coming!" he hissed suddenly.

Hermione looked at the map and frowned as she saw little footsteps with the words 'Severus Snape' floating over them. "Why is he coming here?" she asked, confused.

"I was sure I had heard someone behind me on my way here" Sirius said, frowning. "I thought I had shaken them off. Clearly I was wrong." He pulled the invisibility cloak out of his pocket again and threw it over them both, pulling Hermione to him so that they were fully covered from head to toe.

Hermione leant closer to him before she realised what she was doing and reflexively glanced up, seeing the soft smile on his face.

"Shh" he breathed, drawing his wand as the door handle squeaked and then the door was pushed open.

Through the invisibility cloak, Hermione watched a dark shape shuffle into the room, the hooked nose obvious even in the dim light. Snape crossed the room with a noiseless few strides as he checked to make sure the room was empty; and then he moved back to the door and disappeared as soundlessly as he had come.

"That is not good" Hermione whispered to Sirius, who was glaring at the doorway Snape had just vanished through.

"He's going to be trouble" Sirius agreed. "Don't worry, though, we'll watch him." As he spoke, he had unrolled the map again and traced Snape's passage back towards the dungeons. "The little snake has slithered home" Sirius said. "It's clear to go." But as he stood, Hermione saw that he seemed strangely reluctant to leave. "Twelve years?" he said suddenly, looking baffled. "Are you sure?"

Hermione nodded. "That's what happened" she said.

Sirius shook his head, disbelieving. "I must have been imperiused. Can you see me sitting still even for twelve minutes?" Chuckling, he held his hand out for her. "Well, we have you now. I'm sure you can stop me from being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Hermione nodded, but frowned. "I'm going against all the rules, aren't I?" she said suddenly. "Time travellers are not meant to change events." But as she spoke, she did feel a little proud. Rule-breaking seemed like something she was surprisingly good at.

Sirius shook a finger at her, but was grinning. "I think if what you do changes the outcome of this upcoming war, you can be forgiven. Come on, it's freezing in here." Reaching out, he tugged her to her feet and kept her hand in his as they crept through silent halls back to the Common Room.


	14. Chapter 14

Finally, I'm back! Thank you to anyone who has made it this far with me. I'm sorry I have been away for so long, but I've been suffering from a combination of work overload and writer's block. I hope that this long-awaited chapter won't disappoint and I hope to update again much sooner this time! - Katya

As they made it back into the warmth and safety of the common room, they joined the others, who were sat in a corner surrounded by others of their year group. Remus, as always, noticed them first and moved up on the sofa so Hermione could sit down. Sirius threw himself onto the floor beside James and leaned back against the sofa almost touching Hermione's legs.

Knowing that Remus was watching them, Hermione struggled not to blush and then remembered what he had said about being able to hear her heartbeat. She waited until Sirius had struck up conversation with James and Frank Longbottom before sneaking a look up at him. He was watching her, one eyebrow raised as if waiting for her to speak.

"I told him" she whispered, when she was sure no-one was listening.

Remus smiled gently and covered her hand with his scarred one. "Thank you" he replied gravely.

She had not realised until then how worried he really had been. She felt a rush of affection for the quiet, softly-spoken boy as she looked up at him, wondering if the others knew how good and loyal a friend he really was. For Sirius, he had threatened his own friendship with her, and anyone she could have spoken to about his stern warning. It was so touching how close the four boys were and she couldn't help wondering again how it was that they had been torn apart. What had happened to push Peter into breaking such an important promise? She only realised that she had been staring into space when Sirius touched her knee, making her jump.

He grinned up at her. "There you are!" he said, adding in a low voice: "we're spreading the word."

Hermione saw then that the group was breaking up. Frank had gone over to speak to Alice, whom he was often seen with, and was speaking to her in a low voice. Lily had disappeared and James was speaking to the Quidditich Captain Duncan. "Excited?" he asked her, grey eyes shining.

She nodded, returning his smile. "I can't quite believe it's happening so fast" she confessed. "But I'm glad it is. I was not really taught much in the way of defensive spells, and I'm starting to feel grossly unprepared."

Sirius frowned. "But that will change soon enough" he said earnestly. "Remus is pretty good with all this as well. He's taught me some quite devious ones to use on Regulus when Mother's back is turned. No-one reports a Black for using magic underage, you see, so I've got to be on my guard at home." He sobered as he said that and Hermione felt a wave of sadness as she looked down at him. She had known that Sirius hated his family, but it looked like there was more to it than she had previously thought. It would have to wait for another day, though, as James bounced back towards them and pulled Sirius away to talk to the rest of the Quidditch team.

"You'll get used to that." Remus' amused remark made her realise that he was still sitting beside her.

"Perhaps" Hermione replied distractedly. She had just seen what Remus had unrolled and was idly reading. The map still had her real name on! While she was considering snatching it from him, or firing a confundus charm at him or the parchment, he sighed and rolled it up.

"Full moon tomorrow" he remarked casually.

Hermione blinked at the suddenness of the statement, wondering if she had heard it right. Pulling herself together a quickly as she could, she managed an almost casual nod. "I probably won't be seeing much of you then" she replied, glad that her voice sounded normal.

Remus' grin was bright as he looked down at her. "It _really_ doesn't bother you, does it?" he asked, shaking his head in amazement. "Sorry, but I can't quite get over it. You don't know what it feels like to be accepted so easily."

Hermione shrugged. "Actually, I sort of do" she said. "It's how you all were to me when I arrived. Both you and Sirius knew I was hiding something, but you just accepted that I would tell you when I was ready. I know it's not quite the same, but it feels a bit like it to me."

"I didn't think of it like that" Remus said, after a moment. His tone was soft and almost regretful. "I'm sorry if I was a little hard on you earlier. If you are hiding something it must be for a reason."

Hermione nodded, smiling. "I will tell you" she promised suddenly, looking around at the noisy common room. "Just ..."

"Not here and now?" Remus shrugged. "I understand, Kitty. Look; if Sirius can accept it so easily, that's good enough for me." He yawned suddenly, covering his mouth and blushing. "Sorry."

"Don't be" Hermione said, feeling her jaw quiver in response. "It's been a busy couple of days. I think I might go to bed anyway" she added, seeing that the common room was starting to empty. It was later than she had thought. She had only managed an hour or two of sleep the night before and the idea of bed was starting to sound very appealing. "Night" she said, heaving herself up from the sofa and making for the stairs. As she reached them, a gentle had closed around her arm. She didn't need to turn to know who it was.

"Leaving already?" Sirius' eyes were warm and soft as they caught hers.

She could not help but smile up at him. His dark hair fell over his pale face in soft waves as he looked down at her and she found it hard to look away. For all the stories she had heard of his womanising ways, there was an innocence to his beauty that held her spellbound. She managed to look away and resolved to give herself a good talking-to as soon as she escaped him. She knew she had been silent too long, but could not think of what to say to him. "I'm so tired" she managed, eventually. "You'll have to carry the party on without me."

He nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but then paused and shook his head. Leaning closer still, he leant down so that his lips brushed her ear and whispered "Good night, Hermione. Sweet dreams."

She was sure that five little words should not be enough to provoke a reaction, but her heart was pounding in her chest as she looked up at him. One of his slender fingers ghosted along her cheekbone and then, just as suddenly as he had appeared, he vanished back into the crowd.

Hermione did not know how she made it up to the dormitory on such wobbly legs. It was impossible to believe how strongly Sirius affected her. While she was not precisely over-experienced when it came to boys, she had been kissed by a world-famous Quidditch player. _He_ had not caused such a reaction, so why should this be any different? It wasn't as if Sirius had even _tried_ to kiss her, anyway. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not notice Lily enter the room until the red-haired girl bounced onto her bed.

"Kitty!" Lily called impatiently, shaking her head and laughing as Hermione blinked and focussed.

"Sorry, what?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"I said, if you tell me again there's nothing between you and Sirius then you're a liar" Lily said, a sly smile dancing on her lips.

Hermione had always thought it would be such a wonderful thing, to know she was falling for someone, but now she could only feel sadness and despair.

Lily's smile turned to a frown at the expression on Hermione's face. "What?" she demanded. "I know I warned you about him, but it's not like he's Mucliber or someone. Why do you look like you want to cry?"

Exhausted and overwhelmed, it was exactly what Hermione wanted to do. She buried her head in her hands miserably. "It wasn't meant to happen like this" she mumbled, too tired to keep everything to herself any longer.

Lily hugged her gently. "Do you want to tell me?" she asked.

Hermione looked up, torn. She wanted to tell her everything, but did not have the energy to explain it all. She settled for the most important problem at that moment. "You see, there's this boy at home" she said eventually, seeing Lily's eyes brighten. "He's a bit of an idiot at times, but I suppose I always thought when he grew up a bit we could get together. Kind of like you and James, I think" she added, after a pause.

Lily flushed, but her green eyes shone with understanding sympathy. "And now you're worried because you like Sirius?"

Hermione nodded miserably. "I really didn't think this would happen" she confessed. "But now I feel like I'm betraying the memory of the boy from home, even though we've never even talked about getting together. But I feel like it would be wrong to encourage whatever is going on with Sirius. I don't even _know_ what it is, only that I think it could be dangerous if I don't stop it now."

"But you don't want to stop it, do you?" Lily asked, after a moment.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know what I want" she confessed softly. "I really don't think it's as simple as choosing one or the other. I feel like I'm being so melodramatic. Maybe I should just trust what Professor Dumbledore told me when I first arrived here."

"What was that?" Lily asked curiously.

Hermione managed a smile as she met those bright green eyes, so similar yet so different to Harry's, as she said: "That the heart gives surprisingly sound advice."

Lily grinned. "That sounds like him" she said. "What is your heart choosing? Home with your boy there; or here with Sirius?"

"Here" Hermione answered instantly, not giving her brain time to intervene. She felt as surprised as Lily looked, but then the red-haired girl grinned widely.

"Really?"

Hermione nodded, burying her head in her hands again. "It's worse than I thought!" she groaned. "_Sirius_ of all people! Why couldn't my stupid heart pick someone a little more sensible; or at least someone who hasn't tried to die Slytherin robes pink at least once a week since I arrived?"

"Trust me, Kitty" Lily said dryly; "I ask myself the same thing every day."

Hermione managed a slight laugh and then sighed. "Well, at least I know I'm doomed" she said hopelessly.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Now you are being melodramatic" she said. "I think you need some sleep, Kitty. You're far more sensible than this really."

"That's what I thought" Hermione muttered. "Night, Lily." She forced out one last smile and then got herself ready for bed. This couldn't be why she was sent here, she thought as she pulled the sheets over her and snuggled into her pillow. Surely the difference between winning and losing a war was not down to Sirius going out with a girl in fifth year? She shook her head, irritated with herself. She was just allowing herself to get distracted. She _had_ to focus, before it was too late and she got everything wrong. She resolved to think, really think, in the morning and was soon lost to pleasant dreams.


	15. Chapter 15

-1The next morning, Hermione woke strangely reluctant to get up and face the day. While it was a great comfort to know that she had told her story, and been accepted for who she really was, the knowledge that she was falling for Sirius made her feel like burying her head under the covers. But there was no chance of getting away with that, not while she shared a room with Lily.

The red-haired girl was sat on her bed across from Hermione's, fully dressed and reading. She was clearly waiting for Hermione to wake up so they could go to breakfast together.

Sighing, Hermione pushed her covers away and sat up, blushing as Lily's bright smile flashed at her. She muttered a quick good morning before slipping away to wash and dress. By the time she had finished in the bathroom, she had composed herself to be able to meet Lily's green eyes without wanting to die of embarrassment. She had to trust that Lily would keep their conversation the previous night to herself.

"Ready to face the world?" Lily asked softly, closing her book with a snap and getting to her feet.

Hermione nodded, but doubtfully. "I think so" she said.

"Come on" Lily said, rolling her eyes. "It's not like you've been given a death sentence. Girls fall for Sirius every day of the week and none of them have died yet."

Hermione managed a chuckle, but her insides gave an unpleasant twist. It was bad enough that she felt like this without knowing that she did not stand a chance. From what everyone had told her, Sirius could have his pick of practically every girl in the school. How could she hope to compete with that?

A quick glance around the common room told Hermione the boys were not there. It was far too quiet anyway. And so they made their way to breakfast, spotting the four boys huddled at their usual end of the Gryffindor table. For once, James was the first of the four to look up. Hermione reasoned that perhaps his 'Lily radar' was more sensitive even than Remus' lupine nose.

As James leapt up from his seat to dust the bench next to him down for Lily to sit on, Hermione laughed at her friend's discomfort and moved around to sit in the space left for her between Remus and Sirius.

Sirius' smile was bright as he wished her good morning and Hermione managed to return it with only a slight pink flush creeping onto her cheeks. Turning away from him to pour herself some tea, she caught Remus' sharp eyes on her for a moment, but did not look up to meet that too-knowing amber gaze. It was bad enough wrestling with her emotions without him being able to sense them.

"What are you boys up to today?" Lily asked, breaking the silence.

"Spreading the word a little more" James said casually as he buttered his toast. He looked up, caught sight of Lily's expression and sighed, although he was smiling. "We know, 'Be careful'" he added.

Lily frowned automatically, but the expression softened almost immediately and she turned away, as if hoping no-one had noticed. "How about you, Kitty?" she asked quickly.

Hermione shrugged. "I've got some homework to do" she said.

"You're as bad as Remus" James told her, grinning. "I bet you've done more of your assignments than anyone here. Would one day without homework kill you?"

"One day, no" Hermione told him. "But that was yesterday. I'm not willing to take the chance that I'll still be alive after two." In truth, she was looking to get away by herself for a couple of hours. It had been an exhausting few days, and she felt like she needed to sort through everything in her own head. She had known from the start that the mission she had been assigned would not be easy. She could not rely on the library to help her through it, which was unknown territory for her. Not to mention that she had to think through her feelings for Sirius in order that she could look at him without flushing scarlet. She could feel his eyes on her, but was unwilling to meet them. A gentle touch to her hand made her start and she cursed herself as she instinctively looked up. Telling herself she was hopeless, she tore her gaze away from those glorious eyes, which were currently filled with concern, and stood. "I'll see you guys later?"

Before they could respond, she was moving away. '_Are you sure you're a Gryffindor?'_ she asked herself as she walked out of the Great Hall and up to the tower to retrieve her book bag. That speedy getaway from breakfast would do nothing to reassure them that all was well. Not to mention that she had bolted as soon as Sirius had touched her. She had never met anyone who affected her the way he did and she was almost sure now that the mission she had been sent on directly involved him. She could not afford to drive him away from her; too much depended on it.

She made her way down to the library without further mishap, and settled herself into a quiet corner, spreading her books out over the table so that no-one would decide to share with her. She opened a book at random and sat before it, her eyes glazing over as she tried to think. She was so engrossed in her task that she didn't see him coming until it was too late.

"Talk."

The quiet word was not a request and Hermione's breath caught as she felt a grip as strong as iron clamp around her arms. Forcing her panic down with an effort, Hermione looked up at Remus, who was staring down at her. His expression was carefully neutral, but she could see the burning fire in his eyes. He would not leave her until he knew what he had come to find out. "What do you want to know?" she asked, grimacing as she heard the slight wobble in her voice.

Remus took a deep steadying breath, and released her very slowly. "I want to know who you really are and why you are here."

"You make it sound so simple" Hermione muttered, playing for time while she tried to think. She looked up quickly as something that sounded suspiciously like a growl escaped him, and saw that he really was holding onto his temper by a thread. "Didn't you say that as long as Sirius was OK with me, that was all that mattered?"

"That was before you brushed him off and left him hurt and confused" Remus snapped back at her. "Times are growing dark, and I would know before it is too late whose side you are on. For all I know, you are a spy infiltrating Gryffindor House."

Hermione frowned at that. "You must know that's not true" she protested.

Remus raised an eyebrow at her. "Why must I?" he asked. "Because you say so? You _smell_ wrong, Kitty. Don't ask me to elaborate. But I can't place what it is that makes you smell wrong. I know you're hiding something, I've told you that already. But I'm not OK with it anymore. So; talk."

Hermione sighed. "Fine, but not here" she said. "I was going to tell you; I said so last night, didn't I?"  
Remus nodded, helping her to gather her books. "That's why I'm asking nicely" he told her.

So that was asking nicely? She did not want to know what it would be like to have had him ask in an unfriendly way. She had not forgotten how cornered she had felt when he had wanted to know how she knew about his Lycanthropy. Hermione wordlessly led Remus from the library, making her way through the twisting corridors until she ended up somewhere she had not been for many years. The third floor was as deserted now as it had been in her First Year and she pushed open a door to a dust-filled, abandoned classroom. She sat on one of the desks and, after a hesitant pause, Remus sat down facing her.

And so Hermione told him. Her story flowed out of her, the words almost tumbling over one another as she tried to explain in a way that would not anger him. She did not dare meet his gaze, so looked down at her clasped hands the whole time she was speaking.

After she had finished, the silence was so deafening that it was almost more than she could bear. She squeezed her eyes shut, almost expecting him to lash out at her. And so it came as a shock when a rough, scarred hand covered her clasped ones and squeezed gently.

"I'm sorry I said you might be spying" he said, a slight smile quirking his lip for a fraction of a second.

Hermione shrugged uneasily. "I didn't do myself any favours" she said. "And this whole thing is getting more complicated by the day. I can't tell anyone else, so please don't ask me to. I shouldn't have told you or Sirius really. I've broken so many rules already."

Remus regarded her for a moment with his head on one side. "Would a few more matter?" he asked softly. "If you are to change something important in this time, surely the others could help you?"

Hermione looked down at the hand that was still resting on hers. She shook her head firmly. "I don't know" she said, wretchedly. "There are some people I have met here that end up on the wrong side of this war. Already, they know more than I am comfortable with. If they are to hear my story, it might be disastrous."

Remus looked at her sharply, frowning. "Who?" he demanded.

Hermione shook her head quickly. "Don't make me tell you" she pleaded. "I have already changed the future; it might be that they shall pick the right side this time. I do not want you to suspect a person who may be guiltless."

Remus nodded, but Hermione could tell that he wasn't happy. "Does it have anything to do with why you ran away from Sirius?" he asked.

Hermione blushed scarlet before she could hope to control herself. "Sirius is … another matter" she said evasively.

Remus reached out with his other hand and gently but firmly lifted her chin so she had to meet his gaze. "Why does he scare you so much?" he asked softly, looking down at her curiously.

"I can't decide whether I'm doing the right thing, getting close to anyone here" Hermione said. "But Sirius … well I hardly need to tell you the reaction he provokes, do I? You're the one who can hear my heartbeat, after all. Honestly, I'm terrified."

At that, Remus moved to sit beside her, wrapping one strong arm around her as she leant her head against his chest. "I think, perhaps, you must begin to trust yourself a little more" he told her quietly. "If you were deviating from your mission in spending time with Sirius, I think you would know it. As you say, the only piece of advice you have been given is to trust your heart. I am sure Professor Dumbledore did not say just that for no reason. Look at how much you have done already, since you arrived here. And you have achieved most of it with Sirius at your side. There has been such a change in him, this past school year. You have given him something to work towards, something to be passionate about. It suits him. You know his history, by the sound of it. You know his start in life. When he arrived at Hogwarts, he had to question everything he had ever been taught. Since then, he has always seemed a little … lost, well until this year, anyway. It is as if he is becoming the man he was born to be, if that isn't too over-dramatic." He shrugged, breaking off into silence for a while. "I think what I'm trying to say is that you seem to need each other" he said. "I don't know how else to explain it. But right now you need to go to him, and make him see that he hasn't done anything wrong."

"I didn't want to run away" Hermione told him. "But he confuses me so much, and I hate not understanding things. The truth is, I don't have much experience with boys, and I don't know what I should do. It's something I couldn't learn through the library" she added, an embarrassed pink painting her cheeks. "If you add that to my worry that I should not get close to anyone, you'll see my predicament."

"For all his talk, Sirius can't actually boast much meaningful experience either" Remus told her, grinning. "There have been plenty of girls, I know that, but none last more than a week or so. Maybe it's another thing you can learn together." His grin grew brighter as Hermione blushed more deeply and nudged him in the side.

"You can stop that" she told him sharply, but she was unable to completely withhold her smile. "But while I'm embarrassing myself completely I might as well ask; do you think he likes me?"

Remus laughed at that. "I know, but I'm not telling" he said. "It wouldn't be fair to either of you. Go and talk to him, Hermione. This is a conversation to be having with him, not me."

The rush of happiness Hermione felt as Remus used her real name overshadowed the embarrassment of the conversation. But as she stood from the desk and wiped the dust from her robes, she sobered. "You'll have to keep calling me Kitty" she told him, as they began to retrace their steps across the dusty floor.

Remus frowned slightly, but nodded. "For now" he promised. "It will not feel right, but I know Dumbledore would have given you an alias for a reason. Come on, let's get back to the common room."

They made their way back through the halls in silence, and Hermione's nerves began to return at the thought of facing Sirius. She had not lied, she _was_ terrified of being alone with Sirius. She had never felt this way about anyone; the attraction she felt for Sirius was so intense it was frightening. And Lily's comment about how many girls had fallen for Sirius had not helped. She had no way of knowing for sure whether he felt anything other than friendship for her. She just hoped that she could learn to keep her emotions in check soon, before she sent herself crazy. Being declared insane would definitely damage her chances of completing her mission.

At the portrait of the fat lady, Remus paused and looked down at her. "He's not going to bite" he said softly. "You just confused him when you took off so suddenly. _Relax_. If your heart does not slow a little, you're in danger of exploding." He spoke the password and gave her hand a quick squeeze before they climbed through to the common room.

The room was full of noise and light. It was now afternoon and the majority of the Gryffindors were in the common room, piled onto the chairs or sprawled on the floor in groups, chatting, playing games and doing homework.

Remus led the way over to their usual spot and Hermione saw the slight frown cross his face when he saw that Sirius was missing. "Where's your partner in crime?" he asked James, as he sat on the hearth rug opposite the sofa James was sprawled on.

James shrugged. "Something about homework" he said, frowning. "Didn't sound much like him, to be honest, but he might have turned a new leaf for OWL years."

Remus shot him a quick, disbelieving look. "You fell for that?" he asked, trailing off as he saw that Lily was sat beside James.

Hermione saw Remus' sudden understanding of the situation. Sirius was acting strangely, but James was so happy to be sat beside Lily that he didn't want to investigate. I'm just going to take my bag upstairs" she told them, crossing the room and making sure no-one was watching before she slipped up the stairs to the boys' dormitories.

She picked her way up the stairs to the fifth year's rooms and pushed open the door to the dormitory shared by the marauders. At first glance, the room seemed empty. She knew that would not be the case, though, and she closed the door softly, moving to stand in the centre of the room. "Please don't make me hunt out the map to find you, Sirius" she pleaded softly. "Where are you?"

There was a soft noise to her left and she turned in time to see the invisibility cloak fall and Sirius appear on the bed closest to the window.

He flicked his shining hair back from his face with a quick hand and regarded her impassively. "Yes?" he asked, his voice devoid of the usual warmth.

"I'm sorry I rushed off like that earlier" Hermione said, as she moved towards him with slow steps. She reached the end of his bed and, when he did not object, sat down a small distance away from him. "I needed to think about things."

"You pulled away from me like I had struck you" Sirius told her bluntly. "Why?"

Looking up into those grey eyes, which were usually so full of energy but were now carefully guarded, Hermione threw caution to the wind. She could not have him look at her like that again; it was heartbreaking. "I'm terrified" she admitted quietly.

Sirius sat up, a frown creasing his pale forehead. "Why?" he asked, his voice softer this time.

"Because I'm in unknown territory with you" she said. "Half of me feels that I should not be distracted from the mission I was sent here to complete and the other half wonders if perhaps this _is_ part of my reason for being here. I don't know what is right and what is wrong and I have no way of finding out before it is too late one way or the other. I'm not used to not being able to learn something I don't know and I'm not very good at coping with that."

"You do very well, until your brain starts going into overdrive" Sirius told her, the warmth creeping back into his voice a little as his lip quirked up into a grin. He reached out and laced his long fingers with her smaller ones. "I think you were chosen for a reason, Hermione" he said softly, his grey eyes bright as they rested on hers. "We need to focus on the important things and you just need to stop worrying about thinking of every possible outcome of every little thing you do. You have changed the future already; it's a bit late to start worrying about changing it some more."

"When you put it like that, I suppose you have a point" Hermione said, a warm glow inside from the gentle way he had spoken her true name.

"Of course I do" Sirius told her, grinning. "You'll learn to trust that I know everything before long."

Hermione snorted, shaking her head. "You sound like James" she said, but she was smiling despite herself.

Sirius laughed at that, shaking his hair out of his eyes. "I'll never be that bad" he said. "How did your homework go? Ready to relax for the evening?"

"I didn't get as far as any work" Hermione admitted. "Remus came to find me. Apparently my behaviour at breakfast was enough to convince him that I might have been sent into Gryffindor house for some evil purpose."

"What?" Sirius exclaimed, looking outraged.

"He was just concerned about how I was treating you" Hermione told him, watching with interest the emotion that flashed through Sirius' expressive eyes. She read confusion, surprise, and warmth alongside so much more in those swirling depths that she had not yet learned to fully understand. "I have told him my story" she confessed. "All of it."

"How did he take it?" Sirius asked her.

Hermione shrugged. "Quite well, I think" she said. "He thinks I should tell the others."

Sirius nodded. "Perhaps you should" he agreed.

"I can't let my story spread" she told him, frowning. "I have met both you and Remus, back in my past. I trusted you both the and I am convinced that you both can be trusted now. Honestly, I'm still not altogether sure I should have told my story to anyone, even to you. But I can't risk the story being known by anyone who might end up on the wrong side of this war. Right now, this mission is secret and might be successful if it remains so."

Sirius nodded, but did not look altogether convinced. "It will be hard to keep this from James" he told her. "It feels wrong to keep this from the others, you know."

"I know" Hermione whispered sadly. "Look, it won't have to be forever, but can you do this for me, just for now?" She looked up at him, confused, as his eyes darkened.

"For you, Hermione, anything" he told her, his voice so soft it made her shiver.

She watched him carefully, wishing she understood what was passing between them. It was so frustrating to feel so stupid, when every other girl seemed to have been born with an innate ability to read these situations. She frowned as a gentle smile crossed Sirius' pale face. "What?" she demanded crossly.

He shook his head, the smile unchanged. Wordlessly, he reached out with his free hand and softly caressed her cheek. He pulled back after a moment, leaving her even more confused.

"That hardly answers my question" she muttered, casting her eyes up as she felt her cheeks flush. When she looked back at him, he was grinning. "Stop it" she snapped, as she felt her face burning even more furiously.

Sirius took that unblinkingly, reaching out to take her hand in his. "Hermione, you are a wonder" he told her, chuckling softly. "Whatever happens during your time here, I want you to know how happy I am to have met you."

Hermione did not know it was even possible to blush as horribly red as she was now. Arguably the most eligible bachelor in school was sat beside her, holding her hand and telling her such lovely things. It was something she would never have imagined could happen to her. She managed to meet Sirius' eyes again in time to watch his smile fade as his free hand tangled in her hair. With a flash of certainty Hermione somehow knew he was going to kiss her and her breath caught as he leaned towards her, her heart pounding in her chest.

'BANG'!

They leapt apart at the sound and Hermione's head whipped round to see an oblivious Peter had kicked the door open to the room and was tottering in holding a pile of books that was taller than he was. It was all she could do not to growl at him. She glanced back at Sirius to see that the warmth in his eyes had faded. Cheerfully plotting Peter's murder in the privacy of her own head, Hermione slid off the bed. "See you downstairs" she muttered, buoyed up a little as Sirius wordlessly caught hold of her fingers and gave them a slight squeeze as she turned to leave.

She wandered down the stairs to the common room in a daze. Alongside everything she had not understood, she knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Sirius had meant to kiss her. All she could do was to try not to over-analyse the past half hour she had spent with him. She could not help but wonder if it was a good idea to take the advice of someone who had broken more school rules than most people knew existed, but still, she could not help but smile.


End file.
